Ken Okoroafor, a Nigerian businessman and medical practitioner, fulfilled his childhood ambition of becoming a “Leopard Slayer” at the age of 60.
In his hometown of Oguta in southeast Nigeria, thunderous masses gathered to witness his induction into the esteemed and exclusively male Igbuu Society.
Slaying a leopard in the past was a ceremonial accomplishment that bestowed social respect in addition to being an act of bravery.
To become a “Ogbuagu” (or “Leopard Slayer” in Igbo), a man had to show the local king a leopard that he had personally hunted and killed. The 25 communities surrounding Oguta then divided its meat.
People no longer had to hunt leopards personally since the custom changed over time.
