On Christmas Day 2025, the body of Dr. Cletus Iwuagwu, a 71-year-old Nigerian-born psychiatrist and professor, was discovered in a pond near his home in Springfield Township, Ohio. The Lucas Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy the next day and ruled her death a drowning.
Further investigation is ongoing.
Dr. Iwuagwu has been missing since November 25, after being discharged from hospital, prompting a massive search by local authorities and members of the public. This sudden and heartbreaking end left his family, colleagues at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and the medical community in mourning, highlighting the fragility of life even for those dedicated to preserving it in others.
Dr. Iwuagwu’s career journey is based on hard work. At least it seems so to me.
Born in Nigeria, he earned his medical degree in the late 1980s and later studied in the United States to become a board-certified geriatric care specialist. For more than two decades, he focused on treating elderly patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension, cognitive decline and other age-related diseases at the University of Toledo, where he was also a professor.
His ethnic origins as an Igbo man from Nigeria connect him to a rich cultural tapestry that includes deep traditional healing systems, even if his career path to mainstream medicine is different.
I could go on for hours about how they heal their people naturally, but there isn’t enough room. But I can say that he was a good man. The Igbo people, one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, primarily from the Southeast region, have a long history of holistic medicine known as Ọgwu Igbo or folk medicine. This approach views health not as isolated symptoms, but as an interconnected balance of body, mind, spirit, and society. Traditional Igbo healers, called dibia, use a multifaceted toolkit that includes herbal remedies from plants, animals, and minerals; spiritual rites and rituals, such as fortune-telling, prayers, and invocations of ancestors or gods; and psychological or manual therapies such as massage and incantations. Illness is often attributed to disturbances in spiritual harmony, social relationships, or cosmic forces rather than purely biological causes, leading to treatments that address these broader dimensions.
For example, common practices include the use of specific plants for their healing properties, such as bitter gourd (Vernonia amygdalina) for digestive problems or malaria, or alligator pepper for pain relief—along with rituals to restore balance. Psychic healing among the Igbo may combine herbal concoctions with spiritual interventions, such as dances or violence, to treat mental health conditions seen as imbalances in the spirit or the influence of malevolent forces. This persistence of folk medicine remains today, often intermingled with modern medical services in Igbo communities, where people may consult dibia for cultural or spiritual ailments while seeing a doctor like Iwuagwu for physical ailments. Ethical considerations in Igbo folk medicine emphasize community well-being, natural remedies, and spiritual ethics, treating healing as a sacred duty. While Dr. Iwuagwu himself practiced and taught traditional geriatric medicine without documented involvement in holistic or traditional Igbo methods, his cultural background connects him to this powerful heritage. Many Nigerian immigrants, including Igbo immigrants, maintain ties to these experiences through family traditions or community networks, even as they integrate into Western systems. His story highlights the global diaspora of African healing wisdom, where holistic ancient approaches influence modern life, albeit indirectly.
As the investigation into the circumstances of his disappearance and death ends –Dr. Iwuagwu’s legacy lives on as a dedication to elder care.
However, through its Igbo roots, it also invites reflection on the enduring value of holistic medicine in addressing the entire spectrum of human well-being. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time.
