Hendrix Oliomogbe
A HOUSE divided against itself can certainly not stand, so they warned. An impending implosion may just lead to the fall of the House of Nwoko, which for centuries has presided over the affairs of the small town of Idumuje Ugboko, Aniocha North local council of Delta state, should the feuding princes not entomb the hatchet. The apple of friction among the lords is who between Prince Justin Nonso Nwoko, the eldest surviving son of the late King, Obi Albert Nwoko III, and his half younger brother, 18-year old Prince Uche Nwoko is the rightful occupant of the ancient chieftaincy stool. While the elder Nwoko has since been coronated as king by a section of the palace, the teenager, a final year secondary school student is not relenting in his march to the throne. He is so supremely confident that as the chosen one, the elements so mixed in him, that like the biblical Joseph, his elder brother might stand up and pay obeisance to him.
The coveted kingship stool became vacant last February 6 when their father passed on at 91. The cold war over who the crown fits turned hot recently when some suspected hoodlums brazenly lumbered into the palace in a desperate bid to abort a meeting of the elders.
A vandalised motorbike lying close to the ancient palace walls; broken and upturned tables and chairs; and broken bottles which littered the place told the sordid tale of the invasion.
Determined not to turn the other cheek, the kings men were said to have fiercely fought a foul fight back and some of his opponents were badly hurt. Though no life was lost but there is no doubt that all the stakeholders will have to live with the scars of the assault for a long time.
From being a peaceful community where cheerful princes pump hands within the confine of the palace, there is now mutual suspicion and palpable fear in the community, even though security had been beefed up around the palace with the deployment of no nonsense anti riot policemen.
The Iyase (traditional Prime Minister), Chief Chris Ogwu alleged that anarchy is now the order of the hour in the town, a few kilometres from the ccouncil headquarters at Issele Uku, as opponents of the teenage prince are now hounded by some village toughs.
Ogwu, a veteran journalist and pioneer editor of the state owned “The Pointer” newspaper let it be known that his principled insistence on the truth earned him a severe whipping while the windscreen of his vehicle was smashed and his house vandalized by the toughs on the order of the monarch.
He wailed: “Thugs numbering over a hundred now occupy the palace. They invaded the community, dragged people out of their homes and beat them up, destroyed indigenes belongings. They invaded the market chasing market traders away. They also invaded the secondary school, causing teachers and pupils to scamper into the bush as they shot sporadically.”
Prince Uche and his supporters contended that the choice of the elder half brother cannot stand as the age old customs of the people were not followed in the installation.
Those in support of Prince Uche are holding him out as more qualified because his parents are from Idumuje-Ugboko.
The Iyase said that the crowning of the monarch, was an act too taboo to try as the ceremony, should have waited until after the three months burial rites for the deceased nonagenarian.
He further alleged that a desecration of the tradition occurred when as Crown Prince, Nonso was put on the stool by only one man as against the six required by tradition.
He charged: “Persistent protests against this act were shoved aside by those who insisted that Prince Nonso should sit on the stool, the same night that the Obi passed on. The haste was simply to frustrate the young Prince.”
The Iyase continued: “By the standing order and rule in Idumuje-Ugboko, the said Prince Justin Chukwunonso Nwoko is not qualified to succeed to the throne of Obi of Idumuje-Ugboko as his mother is from Ubulu Uku.”
He said that the Obi has many deep rivers to cross to be accepted, including that his mother is not from Idumuje-Ugboko kingdom as prescribed by the tradition, but from Ubulu-Uku, adding that he is currently standing trial in the Magistrate Court, Asaba, for the alleged offence of forgery and conspiracy in case number CMA/420c/2016 Commissioner of Police Vs Chukwunonso Nwoko and two others.
In the reign of terror, 75 year old Princess Maria Nwoko alleged that a pack of thugs numbering over 40 beat her and other relations mercilessly and vandalized their houses under the cover of darkness.
Choking with tears, she passionately pleaded with the police to be in constant operation in the community to protect them, claiming that their lives are in danger as the entire community is now engulfed in fears.
The last wife of the late Obi, Queen Faith Okwukwe Nwoko, and over 100 youths and elders are said to be taking refuge at Prince Ned Nwoko’s mansion located in uptown Idumuje Ugboko. Rising in stout defence, Obi Nonso said that he was yet to figure out why his nemeses argued that he was not fit and qualified to mount the reins of traditional power in the community which is strictly based on the principle of primogeniture. As the eldest surviving son of the deceased king, the lot, he insisted, falls on him to take over. There is no shadow of doubt about that.
The traditional ruler would rather take the allegation of him being an imbecile and a mad man, and so not fit to be king, in his stride. He seems coherent, intelligent, gentle, unassuming and calm despite the crisis rocking his domain as well as the multiple court cases instituted against him. He no doubt comes across as the direct opposite of the character that was portrayed by his haters.
Picking his words slowly, the Obi dismissed the accusation of killing his nonagenarian father by his enemies with a wave of the hand, insisting that they are only interested in creating a crisis situation in the agrarian community .
He said seriously: “When the Obi passed-on on February 6, in our tradition there is no vacuum, the next person is installed. There is no argument about it, the first surviving son which I am, is installed immediately after the burial. The burial took place around 12 midnight and I was installed at about 2 am. The next thing we heard was that my siblings and I murdered the Obi. There is a petition to that effect.”
The monarch maintained that the heart of the matter is the alleged refusal of the palace to approve 90 hectares of land for a former member of the House of Representatives, Prince Ned Nwoko for the purpose of a sports university.
The controversy over the land issue has been on since 2015, and he let it be known as the underpinning factor from which other sundry issues spring forth.
He added: “When they give the impression that there is a tussle over the kingship, it is just a ruse to cover the real thing which is Prince Ned wants to own the entire town, because we don’t even have 90 hectares here apart from the one has taken, but based on his past record, nobody will give him land except we are all stupid.”
As a man of power, he said that the former legislator merely wants to surborn, subordinate and subdue the commoners so that he can grab all that he surveyed.
The beleaguered monarch maintained that if the elders of the town made the mistake of ceding such huge parcel of land to the ex-lawmaker, it doesn’t make meaning for his generation to repeat it.
Unruffled he said that in a desperate attempt at discrediting him, his haters came up with the rape case, adding that not done with him, they came up with a poisonous petition before the police that he is unfit mentally and physically.
The royal father said: “They have been calling me a mad man, an imbecile, that my mum is not from here but the mother of the late Obi is from Ugbodu, so there is no such convention. I don’t know which psychologist certified that I am mad, I studied Psychology at least I know a little about the madness. They have label what is wrong with you not a lay man coming to label you.
“They petition the local government which was taken to the Obi in Aniocha North where they said we should go home and settle the matter, that they are not aware that the throne is under contest.
“As we speak now, there is a case at the High Court challenging my position here. Those are the things we have been going through. The last one but not the least, we were trying to hold a thank you meeting after the burial rites, the next thing we saw were thugs imported from outside came and disrupted the meeting.
The Obi charged that the village toughs invaded his palace right under the watchful eyes of policemen who were drafted to keep the peace. Instead of using force to stop the thugs, the police merely stood by and advised that the meeting should not continue as the atmosphere was combustive.
The law enforcement agents had before that day advised that next time we schedule a meeting, they should be given 24-hour notice. We did that and the police came and the imported thugs as usual were waiting outside.
Disappointingly he said: “The police also came to explain that the atmosphere is charged that we should not hold the meeting. Then I said why are you people here? I went outside and told everybody about what was happening, that is how we went to Zone 5 headquarters (Benin, Edo state).”
The king swored that he never sent thugs to invade his subject’s home to abduct them and bring them to the palace for horsewhipping as being peddled about by his opponents.
He conceded that some furious community youths must have taken advantage of the invasion of the palace to carry retaliatory attacks on the perceived sponsors.
He noted: “It is quite unfortunate that they brought the Iyase here in the wake of the crisis but one of my uncles said he was not looking well that nobody should touch him, so they escorted him back to his house.
“It is possible that some persons took the laws into their hands in that kind of situation where you have angered the people, and youths are not the easiest people to manage. But as for whether they brought anybody and we flogged him is cock and bull story. There is no way I can go and hire thugs to come and disrupt Izuani meeting that I called except if I am a mad man.”
Sighing deeply, the traditional ruler suggested ways of salvaging the situation and head off the impeding implosion.
The first option, which according to him, is impossible, is to swallow the bitter pills and allow Ned to have all the land he requested for, and thereafter all the court cases against will be cleared.
He insisted that the former federal lawmaker must atone for the alleged atrocities he committed against the palace and the community which included the payment of the various fines imposed on him so that he can be of good standing in the community and the royal family which he is a part of.
He vowed that here is just no way his kinsman will get the land so long as the buck stops on his desk except he goes through due process. He has to apply for land after which there will be a feasibility study and a committee will then study it to recommend what should be done. But he wants to cut corners, so the option is for him to decide. One man cannot terrorize the entire community.
The king maintained that his late father did not approve the controversial 90 hectares of land, adding that Ned Nwoko was yet to account for the 30 hectares of land given to him over ten years ago to build aranch and dairy product factory.
He said: “More than ten years ago, he was given approval for 30 hectares of land. He told the community that he wanted to build a ranch and a dairy product factory.
“And in this type of community, there are so many young men who need job, so our fathers in their wisdom thought that this is our son, he is a member of the National Assembly, and that if that is done, it will improve the local economy.
“They did not know that the young man was not having such intention. He converted the 30 hectares of land to a private estate without even coming back to the society to ask for change of use.
“I will tell you that our fathers including the late Obi were so interested in pampering Ned because as a member of the royal family he got advantages that could not be extended to others.
“I know that people in the community are still complaining about that decision, ceding the 30 hectares to Ned. There was a meeting of Izuani that I attended, and my uncles were struggling so hard to defend that decision.
“I know that it was not the right thing but I could not come out to oppose my father and my uncles. That has been lingering, and suddenly in 2015, the young man came again to ask for 90 hectares for Golf Course in this village, when we have one in Asaba that is even under utilized.
“So he now added sports university to what he wants to do with the 90 hectares. I have always be in Lagos, I relocated to Asaba in 2014 to be closer to home. It was one of such my visits that I came across the whole idea of land request.
“It was not just that he was asking for the land, he was already bulldozing people’s land. I drew his attention that if he had talked to the people farming on the land, because that should be first stage, he said he will talk to them but he didn’t bother to talk to them and went on encroaching. He was not just ready to stop.”
He further alleged that while his people stood patiently on the line to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice in the governorship election of 2015, a sinister plot to deprive them of their land was being perfected. He had come home from Asaba, and at about 7pm, a vehicle moved to the back of the palace compound, an indication that the occupant of the vehicle must be familiar with the terrain.
His words: “I realized that it (vehicle) belongs to Ned. I started walking towards the bus, only to find one of my uncles holding something like a letter.”
The pro-Ned group faulted the new Obi, insisting that the vast land was duly approved by the late Obi and that the son allegedly forged documents to rescind the approval.
A high chief, the Odogwu of Idumuje-Ugboko, Chief Sunday Anthony Edemodu, who claimed to be a victim of the recent invasion of the palace by thugs, explained that as the Land Allocation Chairman, the late Obi Nwoko III duly approved the allocation of the controversial land to Ned as freely agreed by the community.
Amplifying the Odogwu, the Secretary of the Land Allocation Committee, Mr. Kennedy Iloh charged that the monarch is curiously opposed to development in the community even when his qualification as the successor remains in doubt.
He alleged that a handful of elders in the community were beaten up and rendered homeless by hoodlums loyal to the embattled king, just for speaking the truth.
The Obi faulted the Odogwu and the scribe. He said that a memo written on his father’s letter head to the effect that he (Obi) had given Ned and his company, Linas International 90 hectares of land, which he intercepted in November 2015 alerted him of a sinister design to grab a vast hectares of the comunity’s land. All that the messenger (an uncle) from Ned needed for the land to be his was the Obi’s signature.
Frowning, he said: “Just imagine what could have happened if that had scaled through. So I told that my uncle to go and tell whoever sent him that the Obi will not sign the rubbish. We have to stop that my uncle from working here, in fact the family fined him and Ned paid the fine because the man does not have the type of money that was imposed on him.”
At the Nwoko Royal Family parley which was later called by the stakeholdeers, some members of the family lashed Ned for his action but a significant percentage supported him, paving way for the meeting of the elders-in-council to take decision.
According to him, at the elders-in-council meeting, secretary of the council, Prof. Som Nwoko (now late) read out Ned’s request. Those who spoke supported his intention contended that it will open up the community and bring about the much desired development.
He said: “My uncle, late Prof. Som read the proposal and it was exactly what I seized earlier. What followed was like a rubber stamp as all the elders concurred until I stood up and asked if they had discussed with the youths in the affected land.
“One of them said the youths doesn’t know what is good for them. I told them that the proposal will not fly because the 30 hectares he was earlier given he has not accounted for it in terms of what he claimed he wanted to do; he has not done any tangible thing in the community. Prince Martin Nwoko told them that if I didn’t agree it was not going to fly.
“After the meeting, they decided to go and brief the Obi about the outcome but before they got there, I was already seated. They came and brief the Obi but they did not tell him that somebody objected to it. The Obi was just imagining how only one person will be given 90 hectares before telling them that he has heard them and that they can go.
“It was from that time on that Ned marked me as enemy number one. Before you know what was happening, I became a thief because they accused me of stealing rice, I became a forgery expert because they accused me of forging my dad’s signature,” he narrated. Prince Ned Nwoko dismissed the charges against him by the Obi as unfounded, noting that the land in question was duly approved and given to him by members of the land committee. The paper had all the relevant signatures including that of the transited traditional ruler and there is no way he, reputed ex-lawmaker could have condescend so low to forge the paper.
Continuing, he explained that the land is for a university project, christened Star University . It is a known fact that universities are always cited on vast land. It is his unconditional love for his community that propels him to establish the institution there.
Going by the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of Star University, everybody is carried along as the land is equity contribution by the community, which is 40%.
The propriety emphasised that the application for the said land went through the land allocation committee. So is the land where his house is located.
He added that in the masterplan, dilapidated primary schools will be renovated to serve as demonstration schools while the Secondary schools will be upgraded and better equipped to serve the community.
Prince Ned Nwoko added: “The land will return to the community if not developed five years after allocation. As a Sports university, there will be areas for sports facilities like mini stadia and sports centers.”
The documents as required by National Universities Commission were submitted to the last and current leadership of Idumuje Ugboko Ddevelopment Union (IUDU). Documents submitted include, the University laws, the Academic brief Vol. I & II, the Environmental impact Analysis Report, Draft University Law, Master Plan, Geotechnical Investigation report.”
Contrary to claims by his detractors, the former legislator remarked that it is not true that there was no feasibility study on the project but a plot to grab land.
A local source who did not want his name in print disclosed that one of the two princes leading the opposition against the proposed ivory tower applied to handle the drawing of the institution’s masterplan but failed to secure the contract as it is the responsibility of the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) to nominate consultants that are registered with the commission.
Embittered, the source said that the kinsman swored to frustrate Ned as the politician is fondly called for not exerting his influence to ensure that an homeboy was give the job.
He denied having a hand in the plot to unseat the monarch. That is the responsibility of the kingsmakers which he is not.
Ned maintained that the royal father was only using the land issue, which he insisted time and again was approved by the late monarch, to whip up sentiments.
He emphasized: The land issue is diversionary tactics. The kingmakers insisted that he is not qualified to mount the throne. They refused to recognise his coronation but instead of standing up to them, he is busy painting me black. He chased his brothers and step mothers away from the palace and he wants me to support him. He is only scapegoating me so that the great issue of the day, which is his non-qualification as Obi will be forgotten.”
Against the backdrop of the charged atmosphere, a youth leader, Comrade Emmanuel Kogwonye succinctly summed up: “We as youths have decided not to fight back at those attacking us, no matter the level of provocation. We thank our illustrious son, Hon. Ned Nwoko for making his country home available for our safety. So we are here to protect our people, while also ensuring that no attack comes to Mount Ned Nwoko. This whole issue started when Prince Ned said he was bringing a university to our community, which we welcomed as development. But some cabal turned his good intention and gesture into selfish interest with an attempt to rubbish our patrimonial relationship.” These are no doubt tense times for the locals, some of who are caught in between the raging chieftaincy tussle between the two half brothers. A peep into the tunnel shows only deeper darkness. One only hopes that the passage of time will cool the temper.