Nteje boils, as 3 youths murdered in Ifite-Nteje, Igwe Odegbo and Wowo, Cheif Nwakalor trade words

www.odogwublog.com reports exclusively that thousands of placard carrying members of Ifite-Nteje village Saturday afternoon trooped out in protests over the death of their three children and illegal sale of their lands by touts sponsored by some ten named influential and wealthy cabal in the community. 
 

The protesters comprised of the young, youths, women , men and aged singing anti success chants of those they suspected to be the brains behind the killings and the sale of their land. They moved round Nteje and were addressed by the President General Ichie Dave Enuah and the embattled traditional ruler, Igwe Rowland Odegbo.

The protesters accused those ten influential people of gun running and sponsoring all the crisis in Nteje including the murder of their youths in cold blood just for quest for power. After the protest , news filtered in the alleged killers were returning to lay ambush for them , they refused to return until Igwe Odegbo intervened.

They appealed to Governor Willie Obiano , Inspector General of Police and their representatives in the state and national Assembly to come to their rescue before their entire village is wiped off by the cabal. 

Spokesperson of Ojiani Nteje (Oldest age grade 80 and above leading the community) Charles Edochie lamented that Ifite Nteje which is known as peaceful and loving as well as the food basket of Nteje and Oyi local government area has turned into crisis ridden to the extent that innocent youths were murdered in cold blood.

He accused some prominent men in the community of masterminding the killing and selling of their land recklessly even as he called on the security agents to assist them eliminate the mess to avoid more souls dying for nothing.

On his part, the president General of the community, a lawyer, Ichie Dave Enuah said he was still in shock and described the killing of the youths at their meeting venue by gun men who opened fire on them without any provocation as barbaric, and most despicable.

He said the youths killed were between ages of 22 and 24 years , decrying that his alert to the police did not yield any result but vowed to get to the root of the crisis as a lawyer and every other means legally possible until justice is seen to be done to the families and the community.

‘’I can’t understand why some group should gather themselves to arm some youths to disorganize the community and kill other youths. When these hoodlums besieged them at their meeting venue and opened fire on them, the security men were alerted but unfortunately nothing was done because we have a cabal in Ifite Nteje who feel that they are well connected and they have been selling Ifite Nteje land. The same cabal organized these hoodlums to kill these youths who decided to unite and stop the reckless sales of Ifite Nteje land. They were killed to silence the youths emerging unity. We have written so many petitions to the boundary committee and security agencies as well as the Governor yet nothing has happened. These group call themselves Developers but they were busy depriving the people of their communal land’’.    

Their women through Mrs Jane Ilonze and others collaborated the story and said they have lost their farm land to the hoodlums and it would hamper their stay in the village as they are typical farmers while Chairman of Ifite Nteje Youth, home and abroad , Nnaemeka Agbamkpu decried the intimidation, harassment and deprivation they have suffered wondering why youths in their prime should be gunned down at a meeting venue unprovoked.

At the palace of the Igwe Rowland Odegbo who returned from abroad after 3 months of ailment , he calmed the protesters and assured them that he was in the pains and tribulations with them , describing as a shame the killing of three of their sons and the reckless sale of the Ifite Nteje lands by a cabal , informed them he has communicated the Governor , Chief Willie Obiano and other relevant security agencies and the perpetrators would soon be disgraced and face the music of the law.

Igwe Odegbo who has appealed his removal by Appeal court informed that those behind his tribulations in the throne were the same people creating tension and confusion in Ifite Nteje even as he named one Chief Mike Nwakalor known as Wowo as allegedly masterminding the crisis in the community. 

He said the community has passed a resolution like law that nobody sells a land property without clearance from Ojiani Nteje and himself and there would be no sale of land in the next 2 years in the first instance in Nteje, assuring that the death of the three youths would not be in vain. He said any clan where gun shot was heard would pay a fine of N400,000. He said they have as well proscribed all youth’s organizations.  He lamented that some old men in the community have been arrested and taken to Abuja and Umuahia on the orders of the cabal.

Igwe Odegbo called on Obiano to establish a commission of Inquiry to discover those masterminding the crisis in Ifite Nteje and the town at large and deserved punishment be meted out on culprits including himself if he is culpable, as he would surrender his certificate ,pointing out that he would not want what is happening in Obosi and Nkpor to happen in his domain.

But the Odogwublog.com went in search of the man , Chief Mike Nwakalor a.k.a Wowo , Igwe named as spearheading the crisis in Ifite Nteje and interestingly, he was discovered to be real person and he reacted in shock for his name to be associated with crisis, killing and land grabbing. He wept and took 40 minutes, 42 seconds to educate our correspondent on why Chief Rowland Odegbo according to him, who is not the elected Igwe of Nteje was doing everything to smear his hard earned reputation.

Chief Nwakalor, a.k.a ‘Wowo’ said he was shocked about the incident that happened at Ifite Nteje as no land or position is worth wasting human blood. He said he has never been associated with crisis, war, land grabbing and killing all his life as he has done much for the community to be remembered on such rather than evil he knew nothing about.

In a depressed tone while lamenting why Odegbo should associate him with such emphatically said he has nothing to do with Ifite Nteje as he is not from there, his parents not from there and his only sister not marrying from Ifite Nteje that should warrant his involvement to the extent of all he was accused of. 

‘’I am not from Ifite Nteje, my mother is not from there , I am not marrying from there, and my only sister is not marrying there, What affinity do I have there that I should be sponsoring crisis to the extent of land grabbing and killing? Why are they using my name in vain? Odegbo was just regretting that I did not support his continued illegal occupation of the Igweship throne of Nteje against the elected Igwe of Nteje , Dr Charles Aduaka, our democratically elected Igwe who was denied certificate because he was not APGA member and Odegbo who had no N250,000 to buy form and never participated in the process usurped opportunity. And he went to court, got judgment of the Appeal court against Odegbo who went into exile and after months came out again to still call himself Igwe of Nteje when the court asked him not to parade himself as Igwe of Nteje again. 

‘’Ezi Nteje is where I come from and my Uncle was the last Igwe of Nteje before it went to another village. In 1974, my Uncle was the Igwe and the town invited me to be their President General , that was when we did the constitution guiding the Igweship selection and the community’s leadership and we could have made it permanent to our dynasty but the peace of Nteje was paramount in our decisions , we made it to be rotational with strict rules. (he explained all the rules and procedure including newspaper adverts in three major nationals).

He informed how he facilitated the return of Odegbo from US after 25 years without anything to be the President General of the Community to the extent that he was rejected by the community and over 52 houses were burnt for his rejection and some people killed too and I vowed not to support him again since he was not liked by our people, that is my offence my brother. He has been destroying my name for nothing.

‘’I don’t know how I entered into this case? Please how much is all these land in Nteje that I will be sponsoring people to grab them? Is any plot of land upto N2m in Nteje? I have acres of land in Lagos and Abuja that if I sell one , I collect money in Billions. These people were being used against me but I am waiting for an escape goat to teach a lesson of his/her life.

‘’What have I not done for Nteje people? I brought the local government area to Nteje. In 1982/83 NPP government awarded our brother Ozua contract and rather than pay him he requested for our people to have electricity and by 1985, I used my money to complete the project by energizing it, thus we had electricity. I facilitated the employment of more than 70 sons and daughters of Nteje in Federal offices across the federation. My brother God has blessed me and I wont be party to the destruction of other people’s children or community’s assets for anything. My name is being used in vain. I don’t want to join issues with anybody. Odegbo went for autonomous community and it failed him and I am his headache. 

Jobless people are creating confusion and linking my name to it is not wisdom and I have no physical attachment to Ifite Nteje but they should ask themselves questions because the village used to have the best in everything including best educated like Philip Ozuah that brought electricity , P.A Ekwealor , Julius Obika and so many others who I got inspiration on how to assist people from. I have nothing to do with destruction. God has blessed me and I have access to anything best in the world. My children attended the best schools in the world and are working in  best offices in the world, so why should I value my own family and destroy another? 

He said ‘’God is my witness’’, adding that Appeal court removed Chief Odegbo from the throne he illegally occupied and asked her not to parade himself as Igwe of Nteje again and called him law breaker. He went into exile and resurfaced to accuse me of things I never imagined in my entire life. He is jobless, his father sent him abroad and he returned with nothing after selling their house in America, and his wife born in London took him there on free apartment. He returned to his father’s compound and father’s house and be answering Igwe but Br Charles Aduaka is the Igwe we know.

Meanwhile, Odogwublog.com reports further that the Anambra State Commissioner for Police, Sam Okaula said they have made arrests of unscrupulous miscreants creating confusion in the town. He said they are investigating the matter even as he advised villagers to embrace peace and report to the police when crisis has not escalated. He said he is not aware of anybody was killed but still investigating.