At the root of Igbo jurisprudence are the twin ideas of Ofo and Ogu. The Ofo is a sacred staff cut from the Detarium senegalense tree, symbol of ancestral authority and truth. But its power depends entirely on Ogu: innocence, clean hands, a clear conscience. A leader who acts unjustly loses his Ogu, and with it the force of the Ofo.
Someone who declares “Ejim Ogu” (I hold the Ogu) or “Aka m dikwa ocha” (my hands are clean) appeals to the cosmic order to vindicate them. Murder or theft pollutes the earth and demands a cleansing rite, Ikpu Alu. Authority is therefore conditional — a moral duty, not a right — and this tradition underpins the Igbo suspicion of tyranny.