UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF BURIAL CULTURE OF THE IBIL PEOPLE IN OGOJA, CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

Celebration of the dead is a popular cultural practice in Ibil Ogoja Community in Cross River State. The dead are treated with great respect, as they are believed to have a special relationship with the living. Despite the existence of this culture in the community under study, there is a paucity of empirical scholarly works on the phenomenon. Against this backdrop, this work examined the unintended consequences of the burial practices in the Ibil Ogoja community, Cross River State. The study was grounded in Terror Management Theory. An ethnographic research design was adopted for the study. In-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observational techniques of data collection. Using a purposive sampling technique, participants were selected for the study. An interview guide was used for data collection. Thematic analysis was used to analyse narratives from the participants to provide answers to research questions. Findings of the study revealed that burial celebrations have led to the unnecessary economic burden in attempt to escape the public ridicule, families have gotten into financial debts after burials, roads are normally closed during such even making free transportation within the axis difficult, some families losses their valuables to some wayward individuals, and in some cases burial create thriving of several craft and professions. It is therefore recommended that the Ibil people should understand and see how to adjust to recent economic situations when it has to do with ritual for the burials of the dead to avoid unnecessary consequences.