Fear has gripped residents of Omu-Aran in Kwara following the reported burial of one Femi, a hunchback, who died in a motor accident on Aug. 3.

According to claims, by the tradition, it is a taboo to bury a person with hunchback in the community. The corpse of such person must rather be hanged on a tree otherwise an evil will befall the community. Femi and four others died when an 18-seater bus they were travelling with, from Omu-Aran to Lagos, had an accident.

Although, relatives of the deceased had refused to speak on the rumour of Femi's burial, already apprehensive residents now hang Jatropha leaves, locally called Lapalapa, on the entrance to their houses, to ward-off calamity. One of the residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the relatives might have buried the deceased secretly to safeguard the body from ritualists.

"You know there are many traditions and ancient beliefs in this part of the world. "I think it is the fear that such body might be used for ritual purpose that forced the relatives to have a rethink and decided otherwise." Pastor David Omorinoye, the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Irepodun Local Government, said that prayers remained the key to every unpleasant situation.

According to Omorinoye, people should refrain from ungodly acts that could lead to the derailment of their faith in God. Alhaji Abdul Azeez Adeniyi, Chief Olupona of Omu-Aran, urged the residents to always pray for the stability and progress of the community rather than spreading unwarranted rumours.

"As far as Islam is concerned such belief is fictitious and without any basis. "We should rather devote our time to seek the face of Allah through constant prayers for the growth, progress and development of our communities," he said.