Enugwu-Agidi, an agrarian community in Njikoka Local Government Area (LGA), Anambra State had been thrown into a turmoil as clash by the supporters of the Traditional Ruler, Igwe Michael Okekeuche and the President General, Hon. Chukwuebuka Onuorah, foiled the proposed Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting of Enugwu-Agidi Brotherly Union.
Troubled started when some members of the CEC, especially the village Chairmen and Chairmen of township branches were allegedly beaten and denied entrance to Enugwu-Agidi Civic Centre, the venue of the meeting, on command of the President General, Chukwuebuka Onuorah.
This angered the monarch, Okekeuche to walk out of the meeting after pleading with the President General to let all those qualified for the event in otherwise he would not declare it open as constitutionally mandated.
Onuorah had lamented that some persons were not allowed access to the venue for attempting to disrupt it using protest for him to be sacked just as others failed to pay their dues.
He also noted that he directed the security to allow all those qualified to attend the meeting upon obtaining appropriate clearance by paying their dues whereas the cited examples of those denied entrance for not coming either offence.
Consequently, the monarch, who reminded the President that another set of protesters equally demanded for himself to be dethroned but he did not take action against them.
As the monarch and cabinet chiefs boycotted the meeting without declaring it open, some branch Chairmen of the town addressed a press conference, claiming that a team of security officers, comprising Agunaechemba and police operatives, stationed at the gate looked on as some youth allegedly working for the President General descended on them.
The Chairman of Iruobieli village of Enugwu-Agidi, Chief Obiora Anwuta, who was spotted with a swollen face, said his village both home and abroad were not owing yet he was mobbed by the youth claiming that his name was among those drafted to be beaten.
“I lost my N100,000 and wristwatch but when some youth descended on me at the gate. I heard from Ebuka’s aide that they were instructed to beat me and some other persons. We don’t know what our offences were. They tore my shirt. My village has no issue with him. After they insisted I must change my cloth, and I did yet they denied me entrance,” he added.
Also speaking, Comrade Emeka Ementa, who is the Awka Branch Chairman of Enugwu-Agidi Brotherly Union, alleged that on spotting some thugs beaten Obiora and others, he ran away because some of the youth told them that his name was equally penciled down for punishment.
“I heard that the PG created oppositions across villages and branches and only those he appointed were allowed entrance to the venue for the meeting. May be that was why I was hunted. I represent both my village and Awka Branch. We were not allowed to be part of the meeting. He alleged that my branches were indebted to the union but we actually paid all our dues, and I have forwarded the details to the security and government,” he stated.
They, however, said they would never abide by whatever decisions reached at the meeting, having suspected that their predicaments could be because of the protests and counter protests held against the President General and Monarch earlier in the morning before the meeting.
Some women and youth had earlier in the morning, staged protests and counter protests over alleged abuse of power, including refusal to follow constitutional provisions in adjudicating the town affairs, land grabbing, brutalisation, intimidation of villagers and highhandedness.
Some protesting women clad in dark attires, demanded for dethronement of Igwe Michael Okekeuche while majority of others comprising women and youth insisted that the President General, Hon. Chukwuebuka Onuorah should be sacked for abuse of power.
The protesters, who separately took to the streets and village markets to vent their angers, displayed placards of different inscriptions as well as sang solidarity songs to disparage each others.
The placards for those protesting against the President General read “Ebuka Onuorah must go, Ebuka Onuorah uses police to intimidate us, Governor Chukwuma Soludo save us from Ebuka Onuorah,” while his supporters displayed “Ebuka Onuorah is our saviour, The government of the day must continue, Igwe Okekeuche must Go.”
Speaking during the protest, Mr Vincent Onyekwelu, accused the President General of been highhanded, creating factional leadership across villages and branches of the community unions, including the youth and women wings.
“Our PG is not following the constitution of the town union. I have sent some video evidences to the government officials on how he used thugs to disrupt burial and other communal gatherings in Enugwu-Agidi. He is in charge of land grabbing. Most of our lands have been sold. Our women no longer go to farms. We want the government to remove him,” he stated.
Also speaking, Hon. Mrs Grace Aghauche, leader of Etiti Village women wing, alleged that the President General organised an election to replace her in the month of June instead of waiting for the month of December when they normal meet.
“Our election usually hold by December, but the PG organised the election by June. This is against our constitution. Again, women election are not organised by men. We have submitted reports of this and others to Anambra State Commissioner of women affairs,” Aghauche added.
On her part, a woman from Etiti Village Enugwu-Agidi, Mrs Amarachi Egbeonu, alleged that the PG intruded into their village women wing election by imposing another leadership, which according to her, amounts to illegality.
The villagers said they have written petitions to governor Chukwuma Soludo through the necessary ministries and even the State House of Assembly, pleading that he should be sacked for peace to reign and people to happily vote for the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) on the forthcoming election.
“Our PG cannot influence anyone to vote for APGA in the forthcoming election. We will vote for Governor Soludo. He cannot make us to vote for or against him. We are pleading for government’s intervention to sack him and allow us to live peacefully,” Egbeonu.
But Mrs Nneka Offor, who was part of group of protesters clad in black uniform, exonerated Ebuka from the accusations, insisting that the PG was their saviour while the monarch was the troublesome.
“Ebuka is our leader. We love him. He doesn’t engage in land grabbing. We want his government to continue. Igwe is the one causing trouble in our community and should be dethroned for peace to reign,” she stated.
However, when contacted at Enugwu-Agidi town hall, the venue slated for the Central Executive Council meeting of Enugu-Agidi Brotherly Union, the President General, Hon. Ebuka Onuorah described the protests as a ploy to stop the proposed meeting.
In a contrast, the Traditional Ruler of Enugwu-Agidi, Igwe Michael Okekeuche, in a press conference addressed by his Chief Press Secretary, Chief Ifeanyi Ndulue charged anyone with useful information about him engaging in land grabbing to come forward.
Okekeuche, who urged the community to embrace peace, law and order, described the situation as disruptive.
He said, “We are witnessing what no community should ever endure: allegations of rampant land grabbing, abuse of power by those entrusted with leadership, disruption of sacred burial and funeral rites in Etiti Village, rites that bind us to our ancestors and the imposition of parallel leadership structures allegedly fueled by the Enugwu-Agidi Brotherly Union (EBU) Nigeria, threatening the unity of our people.
“These actions have sown confusion, provoked unrest, and pushed our peaceful community to the brink. We hereby call upon the Anambra State Government and all relevant security agencies to rise to their constitutional duty: to protect the lives and property of Enugwu-Agidi people, investigate the root causes of this unrest, and ensure that justice is served without fear or favour, and to support the Igwe-in-Council in restoring peace and unity.
“We are not asking for favours. We are demanding intervention, protection, and fairness, for the sake of our land, our future, and our unborn generations. In line with the powers vested in him by Article 40, Sections 1 and 6 of the Enugwu-Agidi Brotherly Union Constitution, and in accordance with the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Law 2007, Section 15, Subsection (I), His Royal Highness calls on all ouru people to show restraint, even in the face of provocation. Let us not allow chaos to consume what generations before us laboured to build.”
