Alekwu is the ancestral spirit-power of the Idoma and the third pillar of their religion beside Owoicho and Aje. It is the collectivity of the venerated dead, the 'living-dead' whose bodily life has ceased but who continue in the spiritual realm and remain active in the affairs of their descendants. Frequently described as the enforcement officers of Owoicho, the Alekwu uphold the moral order: they guard marital fidelity, truthfulness, respect for property and life, blessing those who keep the community's norms and afflicting those who break them, so that ritual confession and appeasement are needed to restore balance. The Alekwu manifests publicly at the annual Eje-Alekwu festival through the masquerade known as Alekwu Afia, which chants the genealogies and histories of the lineages of the land. Although the ancestral dead are many, the Alekwu is treated in Idoma religion as a single governing spiritual presence and cult.