Without a hereditary aristocracy, status came through achievement, above all by taking the Nze na Ozo title. Becoming Ozo was enormously costly: candidates paid initiation fees, hosted community feasts and shared wealth with existing title holders. The system worked as a powerful engine of wealth redistribution, channelling private success into communal welfare. Many towns recognized several grades, such as Dunu, Dim and Ezeana.
On initiation, the Ozo man became a sacred figure. His tongue was ritually “washed” to bind him to truth; he could not lie, steal or commit an alu. Ozo men served as moral arbiters in land and criminal disputes, and anyone who violated the code lost the title and faced ostracism.