BY NATIONAL PANEL REPORTERS
The people of Ndiegu Ishieke Autonomous Community in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have raised alarm over a threat by an alleged Ghana-based Yahoo businessman, Dennis Nwodom Nwambam and his cohorts to kill their traditional ruler, HRH Eze Nwanfa Ochiaka and the cabinet members for having participated to resolve his family land dispute.
HRH Eze Nwanfa Ochieka, Traditional Ruler of Ndiegu Ishieke Autonomous Community in Ebonyi LGA of Ebonyi State.
Our correspondent gathered that the family land feud had allegedly led to kidnapping, armed robbery, a threat to life, assault occasioned to harm and other conducts likely to cause a breach of peace in the community.
According to Simon Nwambam, the eldest surviving son of Late Mr Nwambam Onwe of Ekirigwe Ndiegu Ishieke, his three nephews including Ogbonna Nwodom, Dennis Nwodom and Chidi Nwodom born by his late brother, Nwodom Nwambam has been molesting, embarrassing, intimidating and threatening his life together with that of his immediate family over a parcel of land bequeathed to him by his late father.
Mr Simon Nwambam, the eldest surviving son of Late Mr Nwambam Onwe of Ekirigwe Ndiegu Ishieke.
Mr Simon Nwambam in his petition noted that his father married three wives with about twelve children comprising four males and eight females.
However, when the eldest among them, late Mr Nwodom Nwambam was mature enough, their father was in the year 1990 traditionally allotted a large piece of land to him at Eddeh-Ishieke Community because the land at Ekirigwe Ndiegu Ishieke was not enough to accommodate all, most especially as he, Nwodom has married and need to expand his farm.
He noted that Nwodom in the end married four wives out of which three had children for him, but in 2018, "Nwodom died, though, before his death, two of his sons (Sunday and Friday) died.
"However, on the traditional investigation, it was alleged that the cause of death was due to the continuous encroachment of Nwodom on the land at Ekirigwe, which was supposed to have been left for other siblings and half brothers.
"Death did not allow him to retrace his steps before it struck, although he started making moves for demarcation of the Ekirigwe land among the others.
"The children of Nwodom thereafter assumed bonafide ownership of the land (not minding their father's land at Ede-Ishieke), depriving others of any farming activities. I complained to Ogbonna, the first son of Nwodom but my complaints have no effect."
It was gathered that after the death of Friday that the whole family of Nwambam Onwe thought that enough was enough and decided to report the lingering issue to Anmegu Izhi (Anmegu Izhi is the highest institution in the Izhi clan to settle the land and traditional matters).
He disclosed that in December 2018 that Anmegu Izhi visited Ekirigwe Ndiegu Ishieke and listened to all the parties in the issues raised.
"According to the Anmegu Izhi, other siblings are entitled to farmlands most especially if the first son has been settled and therefore the Ekirigwe land should be allotted among all other siblings.
"On the issue related to the corpse of Late Nwodom which was buried at Ekirigwe land, Anmegu directed that a traditional relocation to the Ede-Ishieke land should be done. Nwodom's children agreed and they traditionally relocated the corpse.
"Thereafter, Anmegu now allotted a larger part of the land to the other siblings, parts to the Nwodom's siblings and the remaining part to be kept by me, Simon for further allotment in the future.
"Surprisingly, sometimes in 2020, the same Nwodom's children with the consent of their mother, Nwedeoga performed another rite to relocate their father's corpse back to the already demarcated Ekirigwe land. We went and lay complaints with the traditional ruler of Ndiegu Ishieke Autonomous Community, HRH Eze Nwafa Ochieka.
"When it was time for the traditional ruler to visit, he came with his cabinet members and stakeholders from the community. The eldest in the family, Mr Nwoja Nwambam clarified issues which correlate with what Simon said and what the stakeholders observed when all the parties were making their submissions.
"The Eze, Cabinet members and stakeholders see clearly that the decisions taken by Anmegu Izhi were the best and implore the two parties to embrace peace.
"After the two accepted the decision, a peace committee was then set up and equally a date for the final demarcation of the land.
"In preparation for the demarcation, the two parties met on the 30th of March and 30th of April but because not all members were present, they rescheduled another meeting on the 30th of May. On that day, Ogbonna, Dennis and Chidi came to tell the peace committee and other family members that they are no more interested in the verdicts of both Anmegu and the traditional ruler and maintained that the land belongs to them alone." Simon Nwambam narrated.
He said that the people of Ndiegu Ishieke Autonomous Community intervened again by writing to them to stop encroaching on the land and June 11th 2022 was fixed for them to come and explain why they have to go against both Anmegu and community resolution.
He further explained that on June 11, 2022, male members of the Nwodom family refused to come as it was only their mother, Nwedeoga, who came and accepted all blame and conditions spelt out.
He noted that the said Nwodom family was fined N50, 000, one crate of beer, one she-goat, two gallons of palm wine, and kola, which they agreed to bring on the following Saturday - 18th June 2022.
He disclosed that before the meeting, Nwedeoga the mother of the children had called Dennis, one of her sons who live in Ghana to come home.
He said that Dennis later came back home, but didn't join the meeting with his brothers.
He however called the community people, security agents and government authorities to come and save his soul, saying that "as the meeting was going on and immediately after the meeting, I started receiving strange calls with different numbers, threatening me and my entire family including anybody that may be supporting me."
Simon Nwambam said that he had been hiding since the 11th of June as he could not go to his house at Ekirigwe Ishieke, especially when he received a call to come to the rescue of one of the community stakeholders, Hon James White who attended the meeting but later abducted, tortured, robbed and almost lynched at Nwofe Agbaja in Izzi Local Government Area by the Dennis Nwodom and his gang men.
Hon James Nwite, APC Chieftain and Member Federal Board of Directors, Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority.
Hon James Nwite, following the attack and threat to his life by the alleged Ghana-based Yahoo Businessman and his gang members, has petitioned the Ebonyi State Police Command, Abakaliki for their arrest and prosecution.
Nwite's solicitor, B.E Nwankata, in the petition stated "that on the early hours of Sunday morning 12th June 2022, our client while returning from his village after the meeting of the stakeholders and the entire village at His Royal Highness Eze Nwanfa Ochieka's Palace at Nduenyim Village in Ndiegu Ishieke Autonomous Community in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State held on Saturday 11th June 2022, Messrs Jasper Elechi (aka Skyro), Dennis Nwodom, Ogbonna Nwodom and other at large that will be identified if seen numbering seven boys on motorcycles attacked our client along Ogbala-Iziogo road, Ebonyi LGA while armed with guns, axes and other dangerous.
Nwankata also said: " That our client while at the den of the culprits begged the above-named persons to tell him his offence but to no avail. That after long hours of torturing, Mr Jasper Elechi (aka Skyro) - the leader of the squad informed our client that he was among the stakeholders from their village that is on the list of those to be killed for partaking in the community discussion at His Royal Highness Eze Nwanfa Ochieka's palace at Nduenyim village in Ndiegu Ishieke Autonomous Community Ebonyi LGA about the land dispute involving the families of Nwodom Nwambam Onwe.
"That the culprits told him that they have been paid by one Mr Dennis Nwodom (a Yahoo boy, resident in Ghana) to eliminate him and other major stakeholders from their community that participated in such community deliberation.
"That our client was beaten to a pulp, forced to sign an undertaking by spilling his blood from his finger on the paper he signed that he will never participate in such community deliberation again.
" That our client was later released on the midnight of Sunday 12th June 2022 after paying five hundred thousand Naira (N500,000) ransom to the culprits.
"That one of our client's phones was released to him after the payment of the ransom, but the culprits withheld one other phone and refused to release same.
"That as a result of the beating, our client sustained degrees of injuries, and became unconscious and was abandoned there at the uncompleted building at Nwofe Agabaja Market.
"That it was people who were passing by who came and rescued our client and saved his life. That the suspects are still threatening that they will terminate our client's life and that nothing will happen."
He urged the Commissioner of the Police, Ebonyi State, CP Aliyu Garba, to use his good office by ordering a full-scale investigation into the whole matter and save the life of his client now under imminent threat and danger.
The Traditional Ruler of Ndiegu Ishieke Community, HRH Eze Nwanfa Ochieka has equally expressed concern about the repeated threat to life and the recent abduction of his cabinet member - Hon James White.
Eze Ochieka, with other community stakeholders, Dr Elias Nwigwe, Coordinator Mbeke Development Centre - Hon Michael Njoku, called for the arrest of Dennis Nwodom and cohorts by the security agents for necessary legal action while urging the general public to assist the community to overcome the present predicament arising from a family land feud.
In an attempt to hearing from the accused persons, one of them, Dennis Nwodom Nwambam said he would report to the police describing our correspondent as a blogger.
