Enugu monarch, Igwe Christopher Okwor, of Ihekwuenu autonomous community in Aku, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Thursday, debunked claims that he demolished the house of a blind man Anibeze Nnadi.
THE WHISTLER reports that the house was built for the blind man by the Ezemagu family on a charity basis. The house was later demolished under controversial circumstances, with the donors accusing the monarch of being behind the demolition. The monarch in turn had accused the donors of building the house in a disputed land, and further demolishing same to curry public sympathy.
According to a native of the community, Chinwe Ede, the house was built for the blind man by the Ezemagu family, adding however that “the land is being disputed at a court”. He however attributed the squabbles to Igweship tussles.
Efforts to interview the blind man failed as it was reported that his cousin, one Mrs Amuka, had evacuated him to an unknown location, expressing dissatisfaction with how the Ezemagu family exploited him for their personal gains.
Reacting, Igwe Okwor said that the renewed campaign against him was orchestrated by one Nnamdi Ezemagu as a ploy to wrestle a disputed piece of land from him. According to him, the land in question has been a source of litigation in court.
Igwe Okwor claimed the Ezemagu family had in the past vowed to dethrone him, adding that “they are throwing in everything within their reach to achieve their objective just because Chief Emmanuel Ezemagu, their father, lost the Igweship contest to him”.
He said, “The media reports about the demolition of the blind man’s house are a rehash of an incident from 2021 to garner public sympathy. I did not demolish the blind man’s house.”
Okwor said when the initial incident happened in 2021, the then Chairman of Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Mrs Nkechi Ugwu-Oju, provided N4m for the construction of a new building for the blind man in an uncontested land. However, the Ezemagu family refused to use the funds, he said.
“If they genuinely cared for the blind man, why insist on building on the disputed land? This is not philanthropy but a strategy to claim the land. The blind man originally had a house that was demolished by the Ezemagu family, who then relocated him to the contested land.”
He claimed the ploy was to dethrone him from his throne. In his words, “They said they will never accept the fact that I defeated their father in the contest for Igweship and, as such, they are doing everything to see that I am removed. That is even why this land issue started in the first place and that is why they are not relenting. But they have failed.”
He claimed the citing of the building at the disputed land was to pitch him against the public. Quoitng him, “They are setting me up by going to demolish the same house they are building for the blind man so that when they run to the media, people will be blaming me. It is not difficult to see through their scheming. But they cannot defeat the truth.”
One of the sons of the traditional ruler, Mr Chris Okwor, said, “In 2021, a long-standing land dispute led to threats against my father from Nnamdi Ezemagu. After Emmanuel Ezemagu, his uncle, lost the Igweship to my father, tension escalated. Ezemagu began construction near my father’s building site, leading to altercations and police intervention.
“Nnamdi Ezemagu falsely claimed that he had given land to my father and demanded that my father’s building be divided. Despite police orders to cease construction, Ezemagu continued building at night.
“Suddenly, we heard that the building has been pulled down. Politicians who are unhappy with my father’s integrity used the situation to suspend him from his position, claiming turmoil in the community.”
He said that the Ezemagu family rejected the financial aid provided by the former LGA chairman due to political undercurrents:
“Their actions were never about the blind man’s welfare but about securing the land and looking for situations to cause unrest in the community,” he said.
He added, “The ongoing attempts to raise public sentiment are because the government is considering reinstating Igwe Okwor. After Igwe’s suspension, the state government set up a committee to look into the matter. Unfortunately before the government could come up with their findings, the Ezemagu family brought police from Abuja and arrested him. They also went further to vandalise his house.”
He alleged that Nnamdi Ezemagu was used to blackmailing anyone “who stands for the truth”, alleging that one Dr Malachy Ugwu was attacked for leading a delegation to notify former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi about the N4m aid by the former Chairman of Igbo-Etiti LGA.
He continued, “Mr Chinedu Okike, former DPO, Ogbede, was attacked in the media for reporting the land dispute to police authorities. They also criticised the FCID Annex, Enugu, for investigating and charging Ezemagu and associates with various criminal offences.”
In a response, Nnamdi Ezemagu described the position of the royal family as “a calculated attempt to divert the attention of the public”, alleging that one Kenechukwu was arrested and he had reportedly confessed to the crime of demolishing the blind man’s house in 2021.
A native of the community, who identifed himself as Okeke Ukpanya, said, “The blind man is from Uwani-Otobo, Umuezike village.” Ukpanya called on the Enugu State government to take action to avoid reprisal attacks capable of leading to anarchy.