CAN A COMMUNITY INVITE A PRIEST TO DESTROY AN ANCIENT TRADITIONAL MONUMENT?

CAN A COMMUNITY INVITE A PRIEST TO DESTROY AN ANCIENT TRADITIONAL MONUMENT?

NO.

The Nigerian Constitution says in Section 21(a):

“The State shall protect, preserve and promote the Nigerian cultures which enhance human dignity…”

And the National Commission for Museums and Monuments Act, Section 18(1) states:

“Any person who… wilfully destroys, defaces, alters, removes or excavates any monument, shall be guilty of an offence…”

The punishment provided is a fine or imprisonment for twelve months, or both.

So here is the question:

If an ancient traditional religious monument is legally protected, can a community simply invite a priest to destroy it and make the destruction legal?

NO. A religious invitation is not a legal licence.

So what should a community do if it no longer wants the monument?

Stop the worship if it chooses. Document it. Preserve it. Seek lawful relocation or heritage protection.

You can abandon a religion without destroying the evidence that your ancestors practised it.

No priest has the licence to erase history. It is a crime to do so.

FAITH IS NOT A LICENCE TO DESTROY HERITAGE.