I am not a ritualist Igwe Ofobuike raises alarm

 I AM THE CUSTODIAN OF AMICHI CULTURE AND TRADITION- Igwe Amichi speaks.
By: Dr Emma.O. Ezeoke(Secretary Ezeoke Royal Youth Wing)
As much as everyone is expecting the traditional ruler of Amichi to categorically deny the deliberate defamation of his name by his cousins who have availed themselves as objects of ongoing smear campaign against him, I doubt he has such time to waste in trying to rationalize something written by people who dream about tarnishing the reputation of someone who has refused to adhere to their selfish desires at the expense of the entire community at large. Igwe Ofobuike is a man of integrity and a person who is held in high esteem both in the United State and here at home. His Royal Majesty, Igwe Alphonsus Ezeoke {Igwe di  ike ogu Amichi} is, and remains the Aka Ji Ofo Amichi. He is the custodian of culture and tradition in Amichi. He is the Igwe of everyone, not only Christians. He is an officer of the court in the United States of America, and understands the importance of religious freedom.
We know how Igwe makes his money; he is an American trained lawyer with degree as Doctor of Jurisprudence. His cousins are secondary school dropouts he has helped immensely.
 Why would any sensible educated human being enter someone else's place of abode, in that person's absence, bury and exhume something and run to the media to expose his stupidity? This is a violation of the palace and violation of one’s freedom. The act is trespass; the publications regarding this allegation of ritualism are defamation per se. “They are desperately seeking my attention.” Igwe said.
To claim that Igwe performed the alleged ritual without evidence amounts to flagrant defamation of character because he was out of the country when the alleged incident occurred. From the information gathered so far by this writer, Afamefuna Ume-Ezeoke, Chiedozie Geoffrey Ezeoke, Toonna Ferdinand Ezeoke, and Ugochukwu Willy Ume-Ezeoke, buried the sheep with the intention to implicate the traditional ruler of Amichi in some type of ritual. They did not know that Igwe had left the palace at the time the plan was hatched from one of the wealthy man’s house in Amichi. The two individuals are being used by people who invited Igwe to join their secret society. When Igwe adamantly refused their secret society overtures, they callously connived to embarrass the Igwe wherever and whenever the opportunity strikes.
Igwe told this writer: “I have no intentions of joining any secret society. I don’t need anyone’s protection. I serve a living God. I will never join any secret society. They can conspire to embarrass me. My children will know that their father was an Igwe, but lived a clean spiritual life. You have my word on that.”
When this writer interviewed the Igwe regarding this story, Igwe brushed off the publications and told the writer that he doesn’t have time to waste. He further told me that “there is nothing like bad press. Every press coverage, no matter how bad, is good press. They are making me more popular.” He further stated that if anyone accuses him of being a ritualist, then “I will come home and learn the art and become a priest in rituals, if my Bishop Hilary Okeke, and my parish priest, Kajis, would allow me.”
The people behind this whole hoax have history with Igwe Ofobuike: they reported the Igwe to the Inspector General of Police claiming that Igwe attempted to assassinate them. When they were asked to confront Igwe with their allegation, they abandoned the charge. The same person wrote on Facebook and claimed that Igwe attempted to assassinate him in Amichi. Igwe appeared to answer the charge. Again, they abandoned the charges. When everything failed, they trespassed on Igwe’s land; when Igwe complained, they sued Igwe in Nnewi High Court. The case is still pending.
On January 2, 2016, the same people paid the same two individuals accusing Igwe of ritual, Ugochukwu Willy Ume-Ezeoke, and Afamefuna Luke Ezeoke to lock the palace central gate in the midst of the Ofala festival. Afam and Ugochukwu locked the gate. That was not enough. Obiagu village fined both individuals #250,000. Their godfathers quickly paid the fines for them. Afamefuna Luke Ezeoke was ostracized by the entire Obiagu village in Amichi and fined Five Million Naira for his rascally actions against the Igwe. Afam further appeared before the Anambra South Traditional Rulers meeting last year and claimed that Igwe attempted to kill him. The Igwes dismissed his accusations.
The fact that Ugochukwu and Afamefuna have resorted to burying and exhuming some animal and claimed that Igwe was the culprit, is not new at all. It must be taken with a grain of salt as further sponsored assault on the Igwe. What is so sad is that their sponsors cannot find a gainful employment for them. They buy them with measly #10,000, when Igwe was paying them unemployment dividends of hundreds of thousands of Naira per month.
 What was exhumed from the palace was buried without Igwe’s permission, and exhumed without his permission; but that's not important. Igwe left the palace on the 14th of April 2016 and the incident occurred on April 23, 2016. From what was gathered, Afam Luke Ezeoke and Ugochukwu and Toonna Ferdinand Willy Ezeoke orchestrated the whole charade. They were provided Mobile Policemen by a wealthy Amichian who is seeking Igwe to join their secret society, to effectuate the plan. The same Amichian provided them with the logistics to carry out their evil deed.
Webster defined a "ritual" as "a formal ceremony or series of acts that is always performed in the same way." Based on the definition, everyone is a ritualist. When a priest conducts a mass, the whole process is a ritual. Ritual does not necessarily denote something negative.
 Chapter V. Section 38 (1) of the Nigerian constitution clearly states that "Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance." This paragraph of the constitution is found under the "Fundamental Rights." These rights are inalienable.
 If a person chooses to practice paganism, he is protected under the constitution. Is it then worth cheering when a person's freedom of religion is violated? The Catholic Church celebrates Mass every Wednesday and Thursday in the Palace. The Church has the right and freedom to celebrate mass in the palace. As long as whatever ritual anyone wishes to perform is in conformity with peace and progress, anyone is free to celebrate inside the Obi, masquerades and Moslems alike.
Igwe told me that sometime in 2014, Igwe’s palace guard who is a Moslem celebrated the birth of his child. About 700 Moslems appeared inside the palace. When the tenants inside the Obi called Igwe about the Moslem invasion, Igwe told everyone to calm down; that the Palace is for everyone and not only for Christians. Igwe is a man who wants peace and progress of his people.
In early 2014 onwards, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese in Amichi ordered that no masquerade should parade in Amichi because it depicts paganism. Igwe refused to back down from the Bishop. Igwe stood his ground because he was adamantly protecting the rights of the masquerades and their freedom of association and religion.
 Igwe Amichi is not fake. He is strong and adamant about his belief system. He is a core Catholic and believes in Catholicism. He also believes in the culture and tradition of his town Amichi. He was conferred with such authority by Anambra State Government. 
Taking a look at the story written hitherto in the “Authority Newspaper” of Monday, 2nd May,2016, a reasonable person need not to be told that the story was fabricated for the sole intention of destroying the image of the traditional ruler of Amichi. Such silliness should be ignored. Ugochukwu William Nwankwo Ezeoke claimed to have called a fortune-teller who confirmed that what was exhumed was meant to keep the family members in perpetual bondage. Ugochukwu has been unemployed since he was born. Ezeoke comprises of 1,500 people. Why is it that Ugochukwu and Afam are the only individuals concerned about being in bondage? Both of them are unemployed and uneducated. Ugochukwu Willy Ezeoke who claimed to live in Lagos was on Igwe’s monthly allowance, Igwe trains his children at school, pays his house rent and caters for his family. Igwe sent Afamefuna to the United State, paid for his wedding, placed him on $200 monthly allowance, and propelled him to one of the most known men in Amichi. Now, he has the temerity to claim that Igwe wants to place him in bondage.
Ugochukwu and Afamefuna have resorted to blackmail because Igwe stopped them from selling the family land to the same people who are sponsoring them now. Ugochukwu Willy Ezeoke along with his brother Tonna Willy Ezeoke and Afam Luke Ezeoke were among those that buried dangerous charms as they claimed in the palace. The whole excavation was deliberately orchestrated to tarnish Igwe’s image on social media. Afam Luke Ezeoke is Igwe’s first cousin and based in Amichi. He was greatly helped by Igwe Amichi who found work for him at Customs’ office at Lagos but his dubious character expelled him from the work. Igwe never stopped helping him rather he found another work for him and placed him on Two Hundred Dollars monthly salary. He became perpetual prodigal son by betraying and blackmailing Igwe Eneke because of his inordinate greed perpetuated by the carrot-stick phantom promised by his sponsors.
It is ironic that these people are playing holier than thou, but admitted to seeking the audience of a fortune teller to confirm that Igwe is a ritualist who does not wish their success. They failed to provide the name of the alleged fortune teller. It is very disturbing when our people become so gullible.
I sought the audience of Ezeoke family Chairman to ascertain the veracity of the claim by Afamefuna and Ugochukwu. The family Chairman told me that Ezeoke family comprises of about 1,500 individuals. What Afamefuna and Ugochuwkwu are doing, run contrary to Ezeoke belief in each other. He informed me that these two individuals have been severally sanctioned by Ezeoke family, Obiagu Village, and Okpala quarters. Their current activities will be discussed and the appropriate sanctions divvied against them by the family soon. 
The Chairman said that the family never called any fortune-teller or the youths to come and exhume anything. “The fortune-teller was invited by Afam Luke Ezeoke, Ugochukwu Willy Ezeoke and Tonna Willy Ezeoke to come and exhume what they buried.” No clear-minded person would expect a fortune-teller to contradict the intentions of his customer. This is how silly this whole connivance has devolved. For the fortune-teller to assume that what was exhumed was meant to keep the family in perpetual bondage is a narcistic presumption and pre-meditated garbage that is not even worthy of print.
Afemefuna and Ugochukwu are unemployed and their survival is hinged on ike kete olie. While the wealthy individuals in Amichi who want the Igwe to cow to them and join them in secret society are sponsoring their mischief, the entire Ezeoke family is quietly waiting for them. Ezeoke family comprises of about 1,500 individuals. It is quite odd to see these two men allow themselves to be used to tarnish the image of a family that is revered all over the country. The Ezeoke name that people like Titus Ike Ume-Ezeoke and Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke made so popular, is being blemished by two hungry, unemployed, shameless, idol-worshiping, never-do-wells, who were one of the few members of Ezeoke family that did not see the four walls of a university, are doing to the family.
However, I don’t think that any reasonable human being can keep his entire family in perpetual bondage no matter the antagonism or misunderstanding that have existed between them and as much as I know Igwe Alphonsus Ofobuike Ezeoke, he will still help Afam and Ugochukwu even after their prodigal act. He is a traditional ruler and custodian of the law, and his intention is for the good of the entire people of Amichi community. His Majesty is a friend to all, irrespective of religion and tribe. There is one thing I want everyone reading this to fathom: IGWE AMICHI WILL PROTECT YOUR INTEREST ALWAYS!
Unedited