The Izhi Nnodo Traditional Rulers Council has declared that in the entire history of Izhi land, only in Ishieke Mgbomeze has a younger brother ever performed traditional rites in public gatherings — a practice they described as an aberration that must be corrected.
At a tense reconciliatory meeting held at Odomoke Ishieke Primary School, the council, chaired by HRH Eze Fidelis Nwonumara, ruled that by Izhi custom and tradition, Igbojima (Izhida) kindred as the elder and not its younger brother, Unwera (Amaeke), holds the right to perform traditional rites.
The monarch stressed that Amaeke’s continued performance of such rites amounted to a distortion of heritage that must be reversed to safeguard cultural sanctity in entire Izhi Nnodo communities.
To resolve the dispute, the council announced that the matter would be formally settled at Amegu, the ancestral home of the Izhi people, where elders from both kindreds will be summoned for dialogue and a binding resolution.
Also speaking, the President-General of Oha Izhi Nnodo Ekumaenyi clan and traditional ruler of Nkaleke Echera Autonomous Community, HRH Eze Sunday Oketa, appealed for calm, declaring in Izhi dialect:
“Izhi culture and traditions remain sacred and untouchable. No son or daughter of Izhi should desecrate them.”
The royal declaration followed weeks of tension after Amaeke (Unwera) kindred petitioned the council in a letter dated August 29, 2025, warning against what it described as “a dangerous ploy to truncate peace” in Ishieke land.
The petition was signed by six Amaeke elders — Chief Alo Itumo (Agalegu), Chief Akata Iboko (Ishieke), Chief Emmanuel Ogboo (Ndiebor), Chief Michael Edeh (Mbeke), Chief Solomon Ekperebe (Ndiegu), and Chief Innocent Eze (Onuenyim).
They accused three notable sons of Ishieke Mgbomeze — Chief Boniface Okpete, Dr. Patrick Nwajoha, and Mr. Stephen Nwele of lobbying elders to overturn the age-old hierarchy that recognizes Amaeke (Unwera) as senior to Izhida (Igbojima).
But one of the accused, Chief Boniface Okpete, dismissed the petition as politically motivated.
“I am not a politician. I am a businessman. Politics has turned tradition upside down. I am only pushing for fairness, not division. People attack me because I speak the truth, but I will not stop,” he said.
Okpete further alleged that distortions in cultural practices had already triggered clashes and also claimed lives in parts of Ishieke Mgbomeze, warning that elders must act decisively to restore truth and order.
Community elders, however, expressed fears that the disagreement, if not addressed urgently, could spiral into broader unrest and deaths.
With the September 10 council meeting already stirring unease, attention now shifts to Amegu, the ancestral cradle of the Izhi people, where elders have promised a final pronouncement to restore peace and safeguard the unity of the clan.
For now, the traditional rulers have made their stance unambiguous: Izhi culture is not for sale, it remains sacred and untouchable, and eldership must be observed strictly according to custom and tradition no matter the rhetoric.
