This Man Calls Himself King of Satan — And He Has ’57 Wives’

Chief Simon Odo alias Onuwa, a herbalist, is based in Aji village, Enugu-Ezike, Igboeze North Local Government Area, Enugu State.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust on Sunday, Onuwa, who boasts of 150 grand children, says he will not count the number of his children until he stops procreating. His youngest wife is 15 years old. Excerpts:
How do you describe yourself? My name is Simon Odo alias Onuwa in Aji, Enugu-Ezike. My nickname is King of Satan. If you go to my cars, you will see the inscription: King of Satan.
Why do you answer King of Satan as your nickname name? King of Satan means that I am a traditionalist. I’m not a Christian anymore. I was baptised as a Christian in 1956. And I was a mass server between 1959 and 1960 and the evil and wicked people who didn’t want me to live, poisoned me with ukwaranta (whooping cough) which I suffered for five years. Thereafter, somebody kept poison for me and I marched on it. Consequently, my right thigh (he pulls his trousers for the reporter to see the deep scar on his lap) got lacerated for five years and I was taken to another place for medicine. So I decided to embrace the traditional way of life and I survived the sickness.
When the enemy wanted to terminate my life, I was still single. So I survived the king of Satan. What I don’t do is bad medicine. I don’t go near human blood at all. That’s why I married 57 wives. My grandchildren are 150 in number.
Did you say 150? Yes, I said 150.

Did you pay bride prices before you married your 57 wives? You know our community has taboos, if you go into fornication or adultery in our place, your children will be condemned or you may go mad. Here are the names of my children and my wives. The names of my wives covered two pages of the notebook – Igbo women are there, Yoruba women are there, Awka in Anambra, every tribe is there.
Now, coming to your question, I paid the bride price on the head of all my wives as tradition demands. Above that, there are some of my in-laws, I bought cars for and also built comfortable houses for them. Some of my mothers- in-law I built a bungalow for. The wife that is next to my junior wife, I dashed her mother Peugeot 406 car. I spend as from N300,000 upward whenever I’m going to marry.
I don’t marry from big (rich) families. I marry from the poorest families so that I can help them. If I want to marry a woman and she tells me that she is from a well-to-do family, I won’t marry her again. I suffered a lot in this life. As you hear the story of Job in the Bible, I suffered like Job. This snuff I am taking now, I started taking it in the year 1960 when I was in Standard Three. The cough poison which the evil people inflicted me made me to drop out of school at Standard Three. I hope you know that Standard Three is not Elementary Three? Whatever I’m telling you is the truth because you came all the way from Enugu, which is a very far distance, to come and interview me and so I will not like to tell you lies.
People say that your wives live like sisters from the same mother. What’s the secret? It’s not just that they live like sisters from the same womb but they eat from the same plate. They cook in the same pot. My wives don’t fight, they don’t quarrel. If any of them fights, I sack her without wasting time. And when I sack the person, I wouldn’t go asking for the things I spent on her head as bride price.
Has any woman left you under such circumstance? If I sack my wife, I remarry. About seven have misbehaved and I sacked them. But if the wife I sacked should repent and beg for forgiveness, I remarry her.

How do you fend for a large family of over one hundred members?
Whatever question you want to ask me, don’t shy away from such question, and I’ll answer you. Don’t ask me indirect question. The way I take care of my large family is simple. Thankfully, those I saved their souls, helped to solve their numerous spiritual problems, usually come to do thanksgiving here. And they help me a lot.
If you look round the compound, you will see vehicles parked inside which they dashed me after I had solved their problems. It is my destiny to help people. And it’s God that solves their problems, using me as an intermediary.
How many children do you have? I don’t know the exact number of my children. I don’t want to count them until I stop procreation.
How many bags of rice are consumed daily or weekly or monthly in your house? Truly speaking, some of my wives are well to do, they are established and they are helping to carter for the family. But when I want to go an extra mile, I provide them with bags of rice two times or three times in a week. I am living with the young ones, I’m almost 70 years. I trained the old ones who, in turn, help to train their younger ones. Most people outside there don’t know the trick: they think I am the only person catering for the entire large family.
You married over 50 wives…? (Cuts in) I married over 57 wives.
How old are you this year? I was born in the year 1947, almost 68 years now.

And you decided to produce a whole community…don’t you think you are causing population problems for the country? No. The truth is that my father was the only son of his parents, Papa bu ofu nwa. And he vowed that in his next coming (reincarnation), he was going to have large family full of his many children. And what he wished came to pass or don’t you know there’s power in the tongue, in the spoken words?

Do you have regret marrying many wives? No. There is no regret.
How old is your oldest wife? My oldest wife was 56 years old before she died.

What about the youngest? How old is she and how do you manage to…? (Cuts in) Are you talking of the last one? She is 15 years. Should I call her for you so that you see her? (He goes out to call the youngest wife, Chidinmma. After this reporter has photographed her, he asked her to leave) Very good of you to have asked that question-the way I used to behave when I was young is the way I behave now. I know where you are going to. I know the question you want to ask. The vigour I used to have when I was young is still in me now. I don’t have female friends! I don’t have concubines. I don’t go after other men’s wives. I face my wives only.
How do you feel marrying 15 year-old- girl who is young enough to be your grandchild? I am as healthy as I was when I was young because I don’t bother myself with troubles of this world. I am not an enemy of progress. I don’t envy anybody. I don’t begrudge anyone. I try to go about my own way and mind my business. Sometimes I drive myself to Lagos. What I’m doing is just a gift from God. If you come here in the next 10 years, I will still remain youthful as I’m today.

People say you use juju to control all your wives so that they will be obedient to you. Is it true?

No. There is nothing like using medicine or juju to control them. A woman is like a dog that bites. Is there any juju you can use to control a dog that bites? Tell me the name of such medicine, please, if you know of any. It is just the gift and wisdom God gave that I use in controlling them. I don’t use charms or juju to control them.