Don’t venture into Nawfia for any new yam festival – Igwe Nwankwo warns

By Tony Okafor, Awka

Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo has warned that nobody should come into Nwafia in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State on Friday, 22nd September,2023 for the purposes of celebrating any new yam festival in the community.
Igwe Nwankwo in a warning signed by himself in his letterhead paper said the new yam festival of the community was celebrated on the 15th of September by himself.

Igwe Nwankwo’s warning was sequel to an announcement/invitation by one
Chief Ogochukwu Daniel Obele that he would celebrate the community’s new yam festival on Friday,22nd,2023 as a traditional ruler, a claim that is causing ripples in the area.

Recall that Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo, had in his annual IGU ARO on September 15,2023 celebrated the community’s new yam festival thereby authorizing the people of the area to eat this year’s new yam freely wherever they would be .

Igwe Nwankwo was among the monarchs suspended by a former governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano for visiting President Muhammadu Buhari for an undisclosed reason.However, within the pendency of the suspension,Obiano crowned Obele as the new monarch of the community.

Igwe Nwankwo, however, had to obtain a court order stopping Obele from parading as the community’s monarch, but the court order had been observed in breach.

Speaking with one of our correspondents on the matter on Tuesday, the Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Matters, Hon.Tonycollins Nwabunwanne
said Government would brief security operatives on the issue on or before Friday about the court ruling on the matterHe enjoined the people of Nawfia to remain calm as according to him Government was on top of the situation.

However when contacted on the telephone on Thursday by our correspondent, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Tochukwu Ikenga, said he had not got any information on the matter.

He said,” I don’t have any information on that. If there is any complaint there, Nawfia people should write to us. There’s no security threat as I have heard. This thing you are saying is more like information to me. Nobody has reported anything to us. For me, there is no issue. I don’t have any information on that.”

Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo in a statement on Thursday warned that nobody should venture into the community on Friday for the purposes of celebrating any new yam festival.

He said,”The general public is hereby warned that anybody parading Igwe/ Eze Nawfia is an impostor,except Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo, pursuant to the ruling of Awka High Court of 21st June,2022 and 28th October,2022.

“The ruling has not been upturned nor stay of execution granted.

“It is absolutely imperative to advise the general public to stay out of Nawfia for ANY NEW YAM FESTIVAL as that has been performed on 15th September,2023 by Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo.”