By Malachy Uzendu, Esq.
The peace being enjoyed today in Aguobu-Owa did not come without a price. Time was, especially immediately after the Civil War, precisely around 1971 to 1973, when lots of fratricidal wars were fought in the town, no thanks to the intransigence of a few misguided elements.
The strife was so severe that several people lost their lives. May they rest in peace, amen. Houses were also burnt down, while several people who wanted to construct buildings of whatever sizes or shapes, especially around Ugwu-Afor, up to the present location of the headquarters of Ezeagu Local Government Area, had such knocked down and completely crushed in a most ferocious manner ever imagined.
The strife affected virtually all forms of human and infrastructural development in our dear Aguobu-Owa. Even to commute through Ugwu-Afor enroute Imezi-Owa, Awha, or to Umana became delicate and dangerous adventure.
But all those have become history, thanks to the dexterity of our peace progenitors, who came together, swore and insisted there must be permanent peace and tranquility in Aguobu-Owa.
That singular move was championed by the late Igwe Joseph N. Ejike, Okwuloha 11 of Aguobu-Owa, the sole traditional ruler, who constituted a committee of Ohas and Elders, comprising of both the leading lights in Aguobu-Owa and the intellectual big wigs, who engaged themselves in series of reconciliatory meetings, that culminated in the emergence of a 43-member Aguobu-Owa Communal Land Trustee. The Committee comprises of four eminent persons drawn from each of the six villages then in Aguobu-Owa, whose signatures and thump print, as the case may be, were appended to the agreements reached, and subsequently witnessed by another set of prominent sons of each village, at the end of which a Sworn Court Interpreter, as required by the East Central State of Nigeria Laws, also appended his signature. There was another set of 12 Attorneys who had the responsibility of administering letters of the agreement.
Members of the Ohas and Elders, representing their respective villages included:
From Umuaji – Ozo Okafor Okonkwo; Ozo Onwu Okolo; Ejiuche Adibe and Augustine Adinde. Their thump prints or signatures were also witnessed by Romanus Nnaike. Ogwofia Village – Aniamalu Ozo-Okechi; Basil Ezeilo; Ozo Okolie Ugwu and Ezeji Eze and witnessed by Aniamulu Ozochikelu. Umuezedume Village – Ozo Uzobenyi Ozobu; Ozo Nnaowo Nze; Ozonnaike Ozokeke; and Ozo John Ozonze. Their signatures and thump prints were witnessed by the current Igwe Cletus Afamefuna, Ezeoha 11 of Ozom, Aguobu-Owa, then a young Technician at the UNN. Ezema – Casmir Okeke; Ozo Chikelu Ikpeama; Aniekwu Obulu and Emmanuel Obi, and witnessed by Godwin Okonta. Okunito Village had – Ofoegbuike Eluke; Ozo Magbo Okeke; Richard Igweagu and Iyiama Gushioha, witnessed by Dennis Chiakwa. For Umudim, we had Okafor Ndu; Ozo Neife Chiegwu; Ozo Nnasom Okongwu and Christopher Elobuike, witnessed by Hycinth Jideofor. To satisfy the legal requirements, a sworn Interpreter who translated the contents of the documents to the understanding of the signatories in Igbo language (who perfectly seemed to have understood same) in the presence of the Chief Magistrate, by name Godwin Malokwu played his part and signed the document.
The aforementioned 31-member Ohas and Elders accepted that another set of two educated personalities from each of the six villages served as the Attorneys in the implementation of the agreements. They included: Gabriel Ilo, Emmanuel Uwakwe; the late Igwe Malachy Ezeilo, Basil N. Obodoeze; Prof. Chiweyite Ejike, Edwin Ozoude; Engr. Luke E. Mmamel, Aaron N. Ikpeama; Joseph O. Ozoagu, James E. Igwenagu; and Ozo Paul U. Akuegbo and Boniface C. Uzendu. They were mandated to superintend, deal with, alienate, sell, convey, etc the land listed as follows: Agu Owa, Ugwu Oluku, Ogodife, Ngene Uto, Ugwu-Afor, including Agu Ajali, Ugwu Ozalla, Ugwuokpaezi, Otokolgbo, and Achilo, located respectively between Aguobu-Owa and Mgbagbu-Owa; Aguobu-Owa and Umana-Ndiagu; and finally, between Aguobu-Owa and Awha.
The agreement done, the rising insecurity in Aguobu-Owa came to an end. One can see the positive impact of that effect up till today, with the bubbling economic and social activities going on in Aguobu-Owa with peace and tranquility all over the places.
It is important to stress that the peace outcome did not come so easily. According to Igwe Ahamefuna and Goddy Malokwu, the only two surviving signatories to the document, there were several meetings, sometime leading to late into the night held separately by and in each of the six villages, before the agreement came to be accepted and signed. Igwe Afamefuna, disclosed: “it was Ozo Okafor Okonkwo, the father of Igwe Ezi 1 of Eziowa, who first appended signature to the document, telling everyone that whosoever that failed to sign against his column is the one fanning the embers of strife and brigandage in Aguobu-Owa. That was how everybody signed the document. That day was a very long day for all of us. There were negotiations before we signed, but I thank God we did. That brought peace to Aguobu-Owa”, he said.
This writer is however appealed that just a few decades after the year of the long knife, indications are rife that that agreement has been brazenly violated and capable of leading Aguobu-Owa to another round of insecurity. While some people claim that the signatories were largely uneducated, some of those who have reasons to believe they can torpedo a legal document without setting it aside through a legal process, say the number of signatories were not representative enough but failed to provide the number that, in their opinion, satisfies their own personal statistics. Yet, some others feel they can pull a wool on everybody’s eyes, appropriate the agreement and deal with the issues raised there in as it pleases them.
It is advisable to call on all lovers of peace and progress in Aguobu-Owa to take time and study the documents, do the proper thing and avid running foul of law. Even as some persons stated that most of the signatories are dead and therefore, the agreement are no longer tenable, it is advised that they seek the legal opinion of consummate legal experts who to educate them on the appropriate way to terminate such or carrry out a seamless succession and replacement of Trustees. These are legal issues which cannot be torpedoed under any guise. It is advised that the earlier people of means and strength are advised, the better the toil of our heroes past as not sacrificed on the alter of unbridled selfish interests.
*Chief Uzendu (Wa Chinemelu Global), Journalist and Public Affairs Analyst, sent this peace from Umudim, Eziowa Kingdom, Aguobu-Owa.
