…Advised Eze Iwuh to sue for peace
From Everest Ezihe, Ahiazu Mbaise
There are serious indications that peace and stability may soon return to Umuokrika autonomous community in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State as traditional ruler’s of the council area led by HRH Eze Sabinus Nwaneche have intervened in resolving the imbroglio that led to the last Thursday disruption of the burial of Prince Nicholas Iwuh, aged 75, an illustrious son of the community asking the parties involved to shield their swords.
Eze Nwaneche confirmed to this reporter that his Council last Saturday set up a 5 man Peace and Conflicts Reconciliation Committee headed by HRH Eze Barnabas Nmadiobi of Ogbe Nneishee and the committee is working assiduously to achieve the desired results, and is expected to submit their report soon to the Congress.
He stated the willingness of his Council to handle the matter with decorum so as to maintain the dignity of the royal family and cautioned rumour mongers and mischief makers allegedly fuelling the rift to stay out of the family.
Eze Nmadiobi who on enquiry told the Journalist point blank that their report is ready but not for public consumption but expressed the readiness of his committee to submit their report any time the Congress is sitting.
However, an impeccable family source disclosed that the Royal Father’s have expressed disappointment on the level of animosity, infighting, bickering and wranglings existing in the reverred Iwuh’s family, allegedly advised HRH Eze S.P Iwuh and children to be tolerate and allow the burial of the deceased to take place at the family agreed burial sites.
They also enjoined the deceased family, most of whom are cousins and nephews to the embattled traditional ruler on the need to accord him due respect with an apology, in view of his reverred position and age, which they said they did immediately.
Eze Iwuh was said to have asked his colleagues to give him 24 hours to sleep over their plea and make response.
However, the aggrieved family is said to be worried that more than 72 hours, the traditional ruler is yet to make his decision known either to the deceased family nor the intervened traditional rulers, there by keeping everyone in undue suspense as the corpse is yet to be given a resting place as their custom and tradition demands.
They are asking for quick intervention of the traditional ambassadors nothing that justice delayed is likened to justice denied.
It’s pertinent to recall that for about a week now, peace and stability have eluded Umuokrika community as rumours, fears and suspense enveloped the entire community and its environ, following the allegation of show of shame that last Thursday (4/04/2024), HRH Eze S.P Iwuh, the traditional ruler of the famous autonomous community disrupted the digging of grave for the burial of his first cousin, Prince Nicholas Iwuh, aged 75 years, using the Nigeria Police Force of the council area to forestall the months long planned heroic burial ceremonies.
According to Mr. Cajetan Iwuh, one of the cousin’s of the monarch while addressing news men then said that, ” today Thursday April 4th 2024, as about 7.30 am Police men in uniform and well armed, stormed our family compound like commandos and abruptly stopped the grave diggers to immediately stop further digging of the grave at the ancestral burial site of our elder brother, Prince Nicholas Iwuh who died since December 7th last year and the family for months resolved to bury him today, without any order nor warrant.
” Eze S.P Iwuh is claiming that the burial site is part of his ancestral land which is not true, the kinsmen have tried the matter earlier and advised him to desist from the claim. The burial site doesn’t belong to him. He’s just using his position to cause havocs, intimidate and create confusion in the family.
” The youths with daughters of the community were threatening for a show down, asking the traditional ruler to sue for peace by doing the needful, but we’re pleading with them. Members of the community are not happy over the high handedness of the traditional ruler. He doesn’t want to obey justice. He’s a sadist. Honestly, we don’t know what we did to him despite our father’s investments on him” he alleged.
This latest imbroglio seems to be a justification that the rift between the monarch and the uncle’s children of, late Chief Bennett Iwuh (Onyekuma Onyekuma of Umuokirika), is yet to be over.
The uncle’s children in several petitions in recent past, had accused the reverred traditional ruler of using his advantaged royal father’s position to unduly influenced the Police, especially the Police Divisional and Area Commands, and Imo State Police Command Tiger Based Section, Owerri for unjustly intimidation, harassment, abduction and detention of some of them, their children and wives over minor family misunderstandings, that he should have handled as the present head of Iwuh’s royal dynasty.
They equally accused him of abusing court processes just to distract and reap them off but expressed gratitude that in most of the cases, judgements were in their favour, lamenting that the traditional ruler is unrelenting in fomenting trouble against them for no just a cost.
It’s pertinent to recall that barely two weeks to the disrupted burial, they accused the traditional ruler of fighting dirty to ensure that the burial plans of the deceased are frustrated and aborted, by again using the Police Area Command in Ezinihitte Mbaise to intimidate, harassed and detain the deceased wife, Mrs. Ellen Iwuh and children, Kelechi Iwuh and Chu Chu Iwuh over the family accepted ancestral burial site for the deceased.
They lamented that the Royal Father as tradition permits, if he’s so sincere in instituting peace and appreciating what their father whom he was one of the Administrators of his will did for him in life, he should have used either the family, the kindred, the village, the Council of Chiefs or the Eze in Council’s dispute resolution mechanism to address any of the burning issues but rather he takes delight in undue intimidation, harassment and detention of his first cousins, nephews and wives using the police and courts.
They insisted that they’re resolute in burying their elder brother and father as scheduled, and at the appropriate site no matter any alleged efforts to frustrate same by the traditional ruler and his son-Nnamdi, citing equity and natural justice as their backbones.
However, their burial dream did not worked out as every other burial plans were effectively executed including church services at ST. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Umuokrika with mammoth crowd and high profiled personalities but the police men allegedly brought by Eze Iwuh and children bluntly refused for the corpse to be buried at the arranged burial site, forcing the corpse to be returned back to the mortuary, and this increased the ripples and tension.
Moreso, gun shots and teargas were used to quell the crowd that wanted to get into the compound for the burial, these caused stampede, to an extent that one elderly woman was seen vomiting after inhaling the teargas.
Responding, HRH Eze S.P. Iwu told The Authority that he has “no comment on this matter, yes” and aggressively asked the reporter to ” please get out of this issue, get out of that issue ! Please. The thing is in the court, go to the court” he fumed.
