“‘Free Our Father”: Igwe Odenigbo’s Children Beg for Help
The children of Igwe Ekwueme Odenigbo, a traditional ruler of Akpakume, Udi local government area of Enugu state, have urgently requested that the governor of Enugu state, Peter Mbah, free their 86-year-old blind father and brother from police custody.
They appealed to Senator Osita Ngwu, representing Enugu West, and Udi Local Government Chairman, Engr. Hyginus Agu, to help secure the release of their 86-year-old blind monarch, Igwe Odenigbo, who is still being held by the Enugu State Police Command.
The 86-year-old Igwe was arrested and locked up alongside one of his sons, Solomon Ekwueme, on January 9, 2025, at the Enugu Correctional Service Centre. This was after Mr. Livinus Okolo, aka Zion, a prominent member of the community, filed a complaint against them.
They expressed bitterly, “It is truly heartbreaking for us to be called back to Enugu with the news that our aged and blind father, a retired elder in the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the King of an entire community, has been locked up by the Nigerian Police and charged to a magistrate court and subsequently sent to the prison at the behest of a man that has been nothing short of a terror to the entire people of the Akpakwume community, Mr. Livinus Okolom, alias Zion.”.
The children explained that the problem started on December 23, 2024, after Mr. Livinus Okolo allegedly stormed their father’s palace with about 20 armed men carrying guns, axes, and machetes. They claimed Okolo attacked their parents, stole the Igwe’s staff of office and other valuables, and declared himself the acting Igwe, accusing Igwe Odenigbo of illegal mining and saying the government had removed him from power.
They said that after the attack, angry youths in the community retaliated by damaging parts of Okolo’s house.
According to them, Igwe Odenigbo had earlier filed a complaint with the police on December 24 about the attack on his palace, but nothing was done about it because Okolo was allegedly well-connected and backed by Governor Mbah and the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Okey Ogbodo.
They further added that when Okolo’s house was damaged, he reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of Chief Marius Ezeanyanwu, the Onowu-elect (traditional prime minister-elect), accusing him of instigating the attack. This arrest enraged the community youths even more, and they responded by completely burning down Okolo’s house.
Due to the damages to Mr. Okolo’s house, the Igwe and Solomon were called in for questioning on January 9, 2025, but later got locked up.
On January 13, 2025, a magistrate court in Enugu North tried them and ordered their detention in prison. Since then, they have remained in custody at the Correctional Service Centre in Enugu.
Concerned about the suffering of their elderly father, Igwe Odenigbo, and their brother Solomon, they pleaded with the governor to step in immediately.
They stated, “We, the children of HRH, Igwe Ekwueme Odenigbo, Pastor Solomon Ekwu, and Ozioma Roseline Ekwu, sit here today to appeal to the Executive Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah; the Senator representing Enugu West, Distinguished Senator Osita Ngwu; the Executive Chairman of Udi Local Government Area, Engr. Hyginus Ogbonnia Agu; and well-meaning Nigerians to come to our help and effect the immediate release of our 86-year-old blind father and our younger brother from the Nigerian correctional centre Enugu, formally known as Prison.
See Also: Fuel tanker blast in Niger, death toll rises to 98.
They added, “We are pleading with Governor Peter Mbah to come to our aid and nip this issue in the bud before it becomes worse than it currently is. Our father is a sick, 86-year-old blind man with no capacity to inflict hurt on anyone. He has faced all kinds of tribulations at the hands of this same Mr. Livinus Okolo and his cohorts. Our brother is in no way a person of violence and would not engage in the activities he has been accused of.”
When called upon, Livinus Okolo denied all the allegations against him. He stated that the police and state government were investigating the matter, which led to the arrest of several people, including the monarch. He claimed the monarch encouraged the youths to burn down his house and those of other prominent leaders in the community.
Okolo, appointed by the state government to oversee the community’s affairs, revealed that the youths, allegedly acting under the monarch’s orders, destroyed or burnt down at least 14 houses, causing losses of over N30 billion. He also said part of the conflict stemmed from the discovery of mineral resources and accused the monarch of selling community land to miners without proper approval.
In response, the Commissioner, Deacon Ogbodo, said the monarch was undermining the state government and had been suspended. He accused the monarch of authorising Eta-Zuma Mining Company to mine in the community without the state government’s consent, playing double standards, and creating unrest in the community.
The commissioner also added that the items the igwe’s children claimed that Okolo forcefully collected from their parents are in his watch.
Content Credit| Igbakuma Rita Doom
Picture Credit | https://thewhistler.ng/
