By Anayo Okoli – Enugu

Crisis is brewing in Agunese-Mmaku Autonomous Community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, following a disagreement between their traditional ruler and a section of the community over town union leadership.

A section of the community is accusing the monarch, Igwe Cyprian Nevobasi of imposing town union leaders on them as Caretaker committee, which they vowed to resist.
They also accused the monarch of unleashing a reign of terror unleashed on the people and passed a vote of no confidence on him.

To press home their case, the community held a protest against the monarch over his alleged misrule.

Operating under the umbrella of League of Agunese-Mmaku Professionals, they cried out over the alleged high-handedness of the monarch, claiming that he has been terrorizing and hounding members of the community.

The protesters led by Chief Vincent Okafor, Theophilus Chukwu and Chief Nathaniel Okoli, representing three villages, Eziama-Afam Agunese, Ibitte-Afam Agunese and Enugu-Afam Agunese respectfully, called on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to urgently intervene and save members of the community from the monarch to avoid possible crises.

Addressing journalists shortly after the protest, Chief Vincent Okafor, who spoke on behalf of the community, alleged that Nevobasi, tagged  16 prominent members of the community as unknown gunmen because they opposed the way he was leading the community.

They accused him of using the security agents to harass them on the allegation that they are sponsoring IPOB/ESN.

“Our people opposed that imposition, the illegality, and since January 3, 2022, Igwe Nevobasi has been terrorizing our people with security operatives on trumped-up charges. Currently, most of our people are in hiding and living in fear of their lives. 

“Following the truncation of the scheduled town union election, Igwe Nevobasi has over-reached his constitutional boundaries by single-handedly constituting a Caretaker Committee without the authorization of the Ministry of Rural Development; and imposed the former President General, whose tenure has elapsed.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Agunese Mmaku Autonomous Community presently has no President-General either on interim or substantive capacities. We do not recognize the existence of any Caretaker Committee. The actions of the Igwe, going by the Enugu State Edict on Chieftaincy Matters and other extant laws, are ultra vires, and to that extent remain null and void and of no effect.

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“The Igwe has also gone ahead to generate a petition listing 16 prominent sons of our community as members and sponsors of IPOB, ESN and unknown gunmen, with the intention of silencing all dissenting voices in the community”

“These men have been declared ‘wanted’ by the security agencies with a bounty of N1million placed on each of them.We have consequently put the Enugu State Government and the general public on notice that Agunese-Mmaku Autonomous Community is speedily descending into chaos and if nothing urgent is done, the situation could snowball into serious violence.

“Our people are law-abiding with a strong democratic bent; and we will not stand idly-by and watch any person create anarchy in our community. We will resist such attempt with all our might irrespective of whose ox is gored. Let no one be in doubt of this”, they said.

The traditional has however denied the allegation of terrorising or misruling his subjects but admitted that he wrote a letter to security agencies against 16 persons whom he alleged brought men on military uniform to disrupt the aborted town union executive election on December 30, 2021.

According to him, “the affected persons have been on the run after bringing unknown people to my kingdom during the botched town union election on 30th December, 2021. The people were kitted in military fatigue.

“So, the presence of the unknown men coupled with the charged atmosphere as well as the security report I got from security operatives, led me to postpone that election and appointed a caretaker committee that will conduct the election in April.

“I don’t have a problem with any of them. I don’t call them IPOB/ ESN members. The only issue I have with them is, go to the police or DSS and show them the approval letter with which you got the people to come to my community to monitor town union election. That’s all. And I will never let it lie low until they do the needful. If not, they will continue running. Security agents are on their trail.”

Vanguard News Nigeria