Prince Chinedu Edozieuno, first son of Igwe Alex Edozieuno, former traditional ruler of Mkpunando who was assassinated by unknown persons last week has alleged that he is being trailed and has been receiving threat calls from anonymous persons.
Prince Chinedu raised the alarm on Sunday.
He also said he is worried that more than one week after his father was assassinated, the state Governor Chief Willie Obiano who hailed from the same community and of the same age grade as his father has not cared to know how the family is faring after the tragic incident.
Igwe Edozieuno was the traditional ruler of Mkpunando but was dethroned alongside 12 others that accompanied oil magnet Prince Arthur Eze to the Presidency last year.
He was killed on September 10, 2021 after Ezu River Bridge along Onitsha-Otuocha-Adani Road while returning from a visit.
Since then, however, Governor Obiano is yet to commiserate with the family.
Prince Edozieuno lamented: ” my father and the government had been friendly and I am a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor. My father and the Governor are from the same town and were age mates.
“It is curious that since my father’s assassination, the Governor has not shown any concern. He has not called to commiserate with the family or pay a visit.
“Meanwhile since I started reaching out to the police following the assassination of my father I have been trailed by unknown persons. This poses danger on my life. I also receive calls asking me to drop the case even as some people I suspect that have a hand in the killing of my father jubilate openly.
“As soon as news of my father’s assassination broke out, we heard that some people started celebrating.
“When I complained to the police, they asked me how am was sure they have a hand in my father’s death.
“I call on the Presidency, the Inspector-General of Police and security agencies to come to my aid so that those who killed my father will not kill me also”, Prince Edozieuno pleaded.
He beleived that those who killed his father are not far from his kinsmen.
According to him, his father earned the wrath of some of his kinsmen after he successfully ensured the carving out of three autonomous communities from Aguleri namely: Enugu-Otu, Eziagulu Otu and Mkpunando.
He alleged that influential people including a prominent member of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) from Anambra East Local council have not been happy with his father because of his influence and moreso after he joined All Progressives Congress (APC) after he was dethroned.
Prince Edozieuno said that he is proud of his father’s achievements while he lived. According to him, his father established the first secondary school in Mkpunando, built the first ever motorable road linking his community to Aguleri Otu as well as brought pontoon with which to cross to Aguleri Otu. He also made a lot of people in the communities in the area.
He debunked a rumour linking his father’s assassination to Indegenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) insisting that his father had no issues with neither group
He said: “Some people have tried to link my father’s death to IPOB. That is false and cheap propaganda. My father’s death cannot be far from the autonomous community issue because influential people from Aguleri wanted the town to remain one. My father’s death is a strong hatchet man’s job by some highly placed people”.
He said that some suspects are already in police custody but that “others we finger as the king pins are free boasting in our town and bragging that they have connections and that we have nobody to speak for us”.
Igwe Edozieuno was coronated on December 31, 2002. Before then in 1979 and at the age of 21 he contested the House of Representatives seat on the platform of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). He had been state chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP) and deputy chairman of Transport Company of Anambra State (TRACAS) as well as member, board of trustees of the defunct Anambra Water Corporation#
