Felix Ikem, Nsukka

Call him an enigma, dangerous man, or Solomon of our modern world; you may not be totally wrong. After all, he calls himself ‘king of Satan’.

For Dr Simon Odo alias Onuwa, the King of Satan worldwide, of Aji community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, the world is indeed on his palm.

The people of his community and indeed other neighbouring communities could not but marvel at his legendary and record-breaking marriages to over 50 wives. Not only that, Onuwa a 72-year-old herbalist, said he is not yet done with women and childbearing as preparations are currently on top gears for the marriage of his 58th wife.

When our reporter visited him at his home town, Aji, where the renowned herbalist plays host to thousands of people from both within and outside the country, who came to see him for one medical solution or the other, Onuwa proudly boasted to Sunday Sun that he and his family can win or mar election for any political candidate with its intimidating numbers.

“My family is large enough to constitute the majority in this community. We can win election for anybody in this town. We can as well fail any political candidate. My grandchildren are more than 200, not to talk about my children that are over 300. Add this figure to my 57 wives and you will understand what I mean. If my family fails to vote for anybody in this community, that person will not win that election. But for covetousness and jealousy, I would have appealed to the state government to make me and my family an autonomous community,” he said.

My journey into herbal medicine practice

Narrating his journey into the world of herbal medical practice, Onuwa told our reporter that, “it may amaze you to know that I am a baptized Roman Catholic Church member. I was baptized in 1956. I received my confirmation in 1958. I became a Mass servant in 1960 and was poisoned with tuberculosis. As if that was not enough, my health condition deteriorated and I became crippled for five years. When I was taken to Ijebu-Ode, Oyo State, my two legs have become rotten. After my treatment at Ijebu-Ode, I decided to learn the profession in the hands of the oldest woman there. After two years of apprenticeship, I came back here in 1962, treating and curing many deadly diseases and sicknesses. My parents were still alive then and they were surprised seeing me going into herbal medicine. They never wanted me to be a herbalist. But, they couldn’t help it. They were all afraid of me.”

My marital life

“Everybody will always like to know why and how I married up to 57 wives. I married at the age of 20 years when I was in Ijebu-Ode. People always wonder how I managed to marry three wives from almost the same community. The answer is simple. Whenever I marry from say, Kogi State, I will ask my newly married wife from that area to look for a wife for me from that side. That was how I managed to spread my tentacles as far as marriage is concerned. I don’t use charm to lure any woman into marriage. I have never done it and I will never do it. Neither do I take drugs before I have sexual intercourse with my wives,” he disclosed.
Onuwa disclosed that out of his 50 wives, four are Yoruba, another four are from Igala, saying that he married from so many other states which he could not mention.
Asked how he is able to understand their language, Onuwa said language is never a barrier, as he has never married uneducated wife.

According to him, all his wives are educated, some with NCE while others with bachelor’s degree; teaching in his nursery and primary schools built in his compound.
“I have nursery and primary schools in my compound which are being managed by my wives.
“Out of the 57 wives, only one did not bear any child.”

Managing my family

“All my wives cook with one pot. They don’t cook in different pots. Never. Only one pot. I kill cow every month for them to be used as meat. I have warned all my children not to marry more than one wife. Reason being that they cannot be so hardworking like me. Again, my dad was the only son, but I am not the only son. So, that’s why I warned them not to marry more than one wife. I did it, but I will never want any of my children to do it,” he said.

Why I bear the name King of Satan

“I bear the name, King of Satan because if you read your Bible very well, you will see that it was Satan who tempted human beings, Adam and Eve, and they failed into the temptation. Satan tempted human being with women. So, I fell for it. Satan is my father. I follow his footsteps and demands in procreation and that is why I married up to 57 wives and still counting.”
For his children, Dr. Onuwa said: “I will like my children to be greater and more popular than me. I am not regretting not being a practising Christian because I know I am a good man. I don’t poison anybody. I don’t commit adultery and I don’t steal. I don’t give people poisonous medicine to kill anybody. So, I don’t have any regret at all.”