Anambra Community Protests At Government House, Accuses Monarch Of Burning Down Houses, Land Grabbing

• Government Will Investigate Allegations, According To Soludo

By Chuks Eke*

About 2,000 indigenes from the Awba Ofemili community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday, stormed the Government House in Awka to protest against their traditional ruler, Igwer Ezekwesili Ernest Maduagwuna, for perceived high-handedness.

Demonstrators arrived at Government House with motorcades around 1 p.m. with placards reading “Soludo’s should dethrone Igwe Maduagwuna”. We say no to his burning down of our houses, illegal sales of our lands, and other illegalities, which were received in the audience by Governor Soludo’s Chief of Staff, Ernest Ezeajughi.

The protesters’ spokesman, Dr. Nice Nnamdi Mekoh, who presented their grievances to Ezeajughi, accused the monarch of recklessly burning down opposition houses using community vigilantes.

Mekoh also told Ezeajughi that the monarch forcibly confiscated over 2000 bags of rice and a large number of live goats belonging to the opposition, grabbed and sold their lands, and forcefully installed his stooge as the new President-General of the Awba-Ofemili Development Union, ADU, following a recent inconclusive town union election.

Mekoh urged the government to withdraw Igwe Maduagwuna’s Chieftaincy certificate, hold a free town union election, and disband the Polycarp Ndukife-led vigilantes. He also reported that over 15 houses were set ablaze, 2000 bags of rice were confiscated, and scores of goats were sold to traders in Onitsha.

His words, “We demand the dethronement of the monarch, Igwe Ezekwesiri Ernest Maduagwuna, and the conduct of a fresh President General, PG, election; the incumbent PG is imposed on us, which also increased the killings, raping, land grabbing, setting houses on fire, and confiscation of over 2000 bags of rice from poor farmers by the monarch and his cohorts.”

“In our community, if you challenge the monarch, you will be attacked and your house will be set on fire; they rape our people’s wives and daughters, and you must not complain if you want to live,” he added.

Mekoh praised the governor for rehabilitating the Amansea/Ebenebe/Ugbenu/Ugbene/Awba Ofemili road, which allows farmers to transport farm produce to cities.

Governor Soludo’s representative and Chief of Staff, Ezeajughi, praised the demonstrators for their peaceful conduct during the exercise and promised to investigate the allegations thoroughly to bring lasting peace to the community.

The governor thanked the people for their support in the state’s infrastructure development and promised to begin an investigation as soon as possible.

In a swift reaction, the embattled monarch, Igwe Maduagwuna, who spoke with reporters over the phone, described the protesters as troublemakers who accused him of setting fire to their homes.

According to the monarch, “I, Igwe, can not set somebody’s house ablaze; they are a bunch of liars, and the protest they carried out is baseless, null and void, and has no effect.”