The Amangwu General Assembly of Obeagu-Ugwuaji Awkunanaw, have expressed worry over what they described as “media onslaught” of Igwe Ikenga, the traditional ruler of their community.
The community said the accusations are nothing but tissues of lies which can’t the taste of time, adding that Okwudili Ani and his team are simply out to tarnish the image of their community and their traditional ruler because there’s no land tussle in their community.
Mr. Gregory Egbo, the Chairman Amangwu General Assembly in a statement made available to newsmen said contrary to the claims by Ani and Co., “briefs on land are adjudicated by the Chairman, Power of Attorney, the President General of the Community, the legal representative of the Community, and when still in doubt, the Enugu State Deputy Governor’s Office where issues concerning lands and boundaries are domiciled, and as such, Igwe Ikenga has no hand in the sale of land in their community.
Mr. Egbo urged journalists not to allow themselves to be used for character assassination and encouraged them to ask these characters to appear for joint press conference with a representative of their community and the traditional stool to “address any concerns raised by this nefarious and disreputable group.”
On the allegation by Ani that Igwe Ikenga started reigning following the death of Igwe Reuben Agwu, the Chairman Amangwu General Assembly said Igwe Agwu (now of blessed memory) was very much alive when their Igwe was coronated in 2006.
Mr. Egbo while dismissing the allegations that Igwe Ikenga made money from selling their community land, said their traditional ruler is a “very successful businessman that does interior and exterior decoration for homes in the early ’80s, the ’90s, and partly 2000 before because of age, left the business and retired but was certainly not tired. He was crowned king and still serving the people of Obeagu- Ugwuaji. Some of his legacies are there for verification and his office is still located at No.75 Ogui road, by the popular Oloco Gate Bus Stop. Any doubting Thomas can ask for C.N Ikenga Curtains. There is no curtain dealer in Enugu/Ogbete main market in the 80s that doesn’t know C.N Ikenga Curtains or his family. This group of persons led by Mr. Okwudili accusing the Royal Family should also tell the members of the public their source of income/wealth, the history of their businesses, and their addresses.”
While absolving the Igwe’s son of using his office to harass some natives, said “It is dumbfounding that the alleged incident of harassment, Police arrests, detention, and shootings was only witnessed by Mr. Okwudili Ani and his shameless group. The date of the incident is yet to be mentioned to the members of the public.”
The statement reads in full:
“The Amangwu General Assembly of Obeagu-Ugwuaji Awkunanaw worried about the malicious media onslaught organized by Mr. Okwudili Ani and Co., targeted to tarnish the image of the Royal Family and mislead the public about the good people of Obeagu Ugwuaji, wishes to urge the members of the ‘fourth estate of the realm’, to grant these group audience of the press conference but give the representatives of His Royal Highness or the People of Obeagu Ugwuaji community an opportunity to be there to also address any concerns raised by this nefarious and disreputable group. His Highness/ the indigenes of Obeagu-Ugwuaji is ready to have a joint Press Conference with these groups.
“For the sake of clarification, Let’s start by addressing some issues raised by these persons. We wish to state that there is no land dispute as claimed by Okwudili Ani and his co travellers. In Obeagu-Ugwuaji, briefs on land are adjudicated by the Chairman, Power of Attorney, the President General of the Community, the legal representative of the Community, and when still in doubt, the Enugu State Deputy Governor’s Office where issues concerning lands and boundaries can further explain and handle.
“Surprisingly, this Mr. Okwudili Ani-led group left these lawful cum authorized bodies/Organs and started blackmailing the Royal family and by extension, the good people of the Obeagu Ugwuaji community. The people of Obeagu Ugwuaji are responsible and trustworthy and have sons and daughters who are doing great in the society. The records are there for you to check.
“It is dumbfounding that the alleged incident of harassment, Police arrests, detention, and shootings was only witnessed by Mr. Okwudili Ani and his shameless group. The date of the incident is yet to be mentioned to the members of the public.
“Against their claims that Igwe Reuben Agwu of blessed memory died before HRH Igwe Ikenga took over as King and started encroaching on their land is a white lie. As much as we don’t want to join issues but waiting patiently for a meeting by the concerned bodies to invite this Mr. Okwudili Ani-led group to support their claims and His Highness is ready and willing to be in attendance. We wish to let the members of the public know that His Highness, Igwe Ikenga was already a king for at least three years before the Late Igwe Reuben Agwu was crowned in 2006 after the demise of His Royal Highness Igwe Nwankwo Ogbodo of Ugwuaji. Also before the creation of Obeagu-Ugwuaji, HRH Igwe Ikenga was the President-General of Ugwuaji and had served the Late Igwe Nwankwo Ogbodo meritoriously.
“It is on record that HRH Igwe Ikenga is the first king ever since the creation of the autonomous community and he was unanimously chosen by the community members before his coronation.
“It is a known fact that the source of wealth of HRH Igwe Ikenga is in the public domain. A very successful businessman that does interior and exterior decoration for homes in the early 80s, the 90s, and partly 2000 before because of age, left the business and retired but was certainly not tired, he was crowned king and still serving the people of Obeagu- Ugwuaji. Some of his legacies are there for verification and his office is still located at No.75 Ogui road, by the popular Loco Gate Bus Stop. Any doubting Thomas can ask for C.N Ikenga Curtains. There is no curtain dealer in Enugu/Ogbete main market in the 80s that doesn’t know C.N Ikenga Curtains or his family. This group of persons led by Mr. Okwudili alleges the Royal Family should also tell the members of the public their source of income/wealth, the history of their businesses, and their addresses.
“Mr. Okwudili led the group in the act of calling a few members of the fourth realm estate to a choice location and feeding them with malicious and mendacious information for publication while some of the journalists ignored their stories, and some went into investigations knowing every allegation must have comments from both the accused or regulatory bodies concerned as they have mentioned. Their style of seeking justice (that is if there is any) is blackmailing the Royal family, weeping up sentiments, and public sympathy to support their false claims.
“They should also provide the members of the public with where they live, as HRH’s palace is a known place in Obeagu Ugwuaji. It is on record that some journalists who believe in objectivity, fairness, and balance have visited the community to verify the information and validate facts. His Highness after dealing with the questions thrown at him urged them to go to the Deputy Governor’s Office and other relevant bodies to confirm the true position of things.
“Furthermore, we wonder how an ancestral land belonging to the village as alleged is only known by a few persons led by Mr. Okwudili Ani born in 1982 relatively while in the village they are blessed with persons born in the 1960s and ’70s are still alive but don’t know about the land.
“Finally, we are hopeful that all concerned carry out their investigation thoroughly to ensure that characters attempting to bring the Royal family into such ridiculous activities must be brought to book.”
