Ned Nwoko. |
I
am familiar with the glowing tales about Prof Demas Nwoko as a trojan of his
architectural calling. I adore his avant-garde concept of architecture and the
Africanness he brought to bear on it. His designs, for me, epitomise creative
Nigeriana, the genii of his generation. And the sheer visage of his physical
cut in those bohemian costumes in the days of yore told an awesome story of an
incisive character and a pilgrim soul, a man in search of creative truth and
the essentials of life.
Unlike
Prof Nwoko let me confess that I do not
know much about the man, Chief Chris Biose, the Ode-Uri . But I have read a few
of his inspiring, soul- pricking and
provocative articles on the national question. His Riddle of a New Ethnic Group
in Nigeria, a terse commentary on the Hausa-Fulani escalating dominance of
Nigeria’s political arena and “their larger than life image” is a statement of
his intellectual depth. And then his seminal book on History and Traditions of
Idumuje Clan. All these pointedly bespeak not only his towering intellectual
stature but one still burning with an irreducible passion for the wellbeing of
his people and survival of their history and cultural heritage. I cannot only
aspire to be like these doyens of my Anioma Nation but to be a fetching symbol
of their collective aspiration for peace founded on justice in Idumuje Ugboko
and indeed all Anioma land.
THEIR
TAKE ON IDUMUJE-UGBOKO CRISIS.
When
these two emblems of who we proudly are, however, commented recently on the
media towards the resolution of the crisis in Idumuje-Ugboko, Aniocha North
Local Government Area, LGA, of Delta state,
I saw a bit of omissions that one side to the conflict could easily
misconstrue as deliberate selective amnesia,
or mute indifference to some critical issues in the crisis.
I
want to believe that these omissions were not deliberate. I have therefore
taken it upon myself to point out these grey areas, not for any reason to
subject these iconic, poster-giants of our accomplishments and culture to any
infamy or to diminish their genuine quest for peace in those rolling hills, of
our picturesque village, called Idumuje Ugboko. The real reason and which I
judge cogent is to draw their attention to some of these hard facts in their
solemn standing as our worthy jurors for peace.
The
recent arrest and arraignment of Prince Chukwunonso Nwoko, the aspirational Obi
of Idumuje Ugboko perhaps accentuated the voices of these elders.
Let
me begin with the interview granted by the revered Prince of Ugboko, Prof Demas
Nwoko to a local newspaper, The Pointer. Reacting to a reporter’s question, on
the Kingship tussle, he retorted, “…….. We don’t have a succession problem. You
can’t ask me, ask government. Ask Ministry of Chieftaincy (sic). If they cannot
answer it and they depend on me, then something is wrong. So anything that
happens or continues to happen in this community lies in the hands of the
government”.
Now,
I can understand the emotion of a
distinguished elder whose community is without a bonafide king. His emotion is
bound to sizzle.
Notwithstanding,
it is still important that Prof Nwoko
does not allow emotion to rule reason. This is so because the first
question to ask is, could the Delta state government have given a Staff of
Office, a symbol of recognition and authority to Prince Chukwunonso when the throne is a subject of
litigation before a court of competent jurisdiction? Can the state government
be seen as an author of anarchy which will be the resultant effect if it
brazenly breaches the law by damning a judicial process to dignify impunity
through issuance of Staff of Office to an Obi in both a bitter legal battle and
a fractious kingdom ?
I
was a journalist, a Crime Reporter. I am a Nigeria Merit Award winner in News
Reporting and a Crime Reporter, nominee, both in 1992 and barely two years in
journalism. With due respect to modesty, it was a testament to my unimpeachable
professional integrity, to my deep investigations and reporting them as they were without a tinge of emotion and
for the courage to, sometimes, dare to go beyond the seeming boundaries of
adventure in a quest to get the news. So, the stark truth is what I owe these
vanguards of our collective quest for peace.
A
professor of Prince Demas Nwoko’s standing must therefore possess the steely
courage to dig into the causative and prognosis of a dire royal situation. It
is when he has done this without any iota of emotion that he could stand on a
moral high ground to lead the quest for a desirable change and reconciliation
that could compel litigants to shield their swords and even withdraw their
cases in courts.
There
is absolutely no need to begin to imagine that Ugboko has no succession
problem. It indeed has a very complicated one, a type that the litigants may
walk a long convoluted road to the promise land. And the outcome will yet be
unpredictable.
How
could Delta state government, for instance,
give a Staff of Office to Prince Nonso ? Only on May 21, 2020, the
Director of Chieftaincy Affairs received a letter from the court on the
pendency of the order restraining the governor from recognizing Prince Nonso as
Obi of Idumuje- Ugboko. This letter carried a clear, screaming headline tittled
: “RE – NOTIFICATION THAT THE ORDER RESTRAINING THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF DELTA
STATE FROM ACCORDING ANY RECOGNITION TO PRINCE CHUKWUNONSO NWOKO OR FROM
HANDING OVER STAFF OF OFFICE OR SYMBOL OF AUTHORITY TO HIM STILL SUBSISTS AND
NOT BEEN SET SIDE”.
The
Permanent Secretary of the Directorate of Chieftaincy Affairs, Omonyeme Erute
sent this letter to the Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, Peter
Mrakpor, who allegedly had unabashedly been meddling in the Ugboko crisis with
the sole aim of handing over the Staff of Office to Prince Nonso. With this
kind of letter clearly articulating the status quo of the case in court, how
could a government, worthy of any modicum of respect, violate this order to give Staff of Office to
Prince Chukwunonso just so to perhaps satisfy the ego of a few people and then
set the village on perdition.
I
believe that Prof Nwoko should explore the amicable resolution of peace option.
The 84 year old Professor, has about five cousins that are older than him in
his royal family. He needs to have a soul searching meeting with them to
explore the best options towards the renaissance of peace and brotherhood that
characterized the history of Idumuje –Ugboko. Taking side at this critical
moment can only complicate and worsen the situation.
There
are in fact so many reasons that would easily shackle the hands of Delta state
government even if it was contemplating to
honour Prince Chukwunonso with recognition.
CHIEF
BIOSE's SOULFUL LETTER
I will limit myself to the vital areas of
Chief Biose's soulful letter. The reason for this is that the Ode-Uri means
well.
From
his erudite letter titled Police Invasion of Idumuje-Ugboko Royal Palace, I could feel the pulse of his passion for
peace, not only in Ugboko, but Anioma nation , the Ibo speaking people of Delta
state. I felt his faith and reverence for the traditional institutions and the
serpentine wisdom of the Royal fathers.
Despite
his strident appeal for peace, Chief Biose , wittingly or unwittingly ,
diffused his good intentions with some omissions that tend to paint his long
epistle as one coated with biases. Although he displayed elderly wisdom in his
temperate language and seeming neutrality, the opponents of Prince Chukwunonso
may raise many questions on the gaping holes in his letter. The opponents of
Prince Nonso, as he is often called, would ask why Chief Biose so aptly tagged
the arrest of Prince Chukwunonso an invasion of Idumuje –Ugboko Palace without
prying, as an elder and leader , into circumstances that spurred the police to
storm the palace the way they did. They would surely ask if Chief Biose was not
aware that the police had respectfully invited Prince Chukwunonse several times
to the headquarters in Asaba to no avail. The Prince neither obliged nor wrote the police to give
an excuse or reasons for his inability to honour their invitations. Will Chief Biose want anyone to believe that
Prince Chukwunonso is above the law ? Here are the words of the Commissioner of
Police, Delta state, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa to the press on Saturday, July 18, 2020
after Prince Chukwunonso’s arrest, “We went there to arrest him for refusing to
honour our invitation. He has since been left to go home after he apologized
for not honouring our invitation”. This simply showed that the police did not
set out to desecrate the Ugboko palace. They had no choice than to act the way
they did because the Prince’s behavior had been less than decorous and most
unprincely. That was why Prince Chukwunonso apologized because he erred in law.
Good men, apostles of culture like Chief Biose should have advised Prince
Chukwunonso not to act with impunity because it is foolhardy to make himself a
fugitive of the law by staying in his palace and ignoring police summons.
Indeed,
if Chief Biose had paid adequate attention to the unfolding crisis in Ugboko
since the demise of the very respected Obi Albert Nwoko III, JP, PhD, OON, he
would have come to terms with an appalling fact that Prince Chukwunonso had
made himself a royal hermit through brazen breaches of bail conditions and
serial default to police invitations. This is a the tough truth. This impudent
lack of respect for the law inevitably would subject a royalty to outrageous
infamy and that has become Prince
Nonso’s ordeal. It is saddening.
CHIEF
BIOSE's SELECTIVE JUDGEMENT ?
In
a sub-heading titled Issues in Dispute in Idumuje-Ugboko, Chief biose wrote,
“As a result of a disagreement in Idumuje-Ugboko Royal Family, a gang of youths
stormed the first Izu-Ani (General Congress) of Idumuje-Ugboko convened by Obi
Nwoko IV after his installation. The unruly youths reportedly disrupted the
Izu-Ani and in the ensuing milieu, several people were injured”.
Now,
this narration propels my mind to an
aphorism in Idumuje Clan which the author of this letter quoted at the
beginning because it simply but aptly
delineates and accentuates the wisdom of our forebears. Let’s hear this
connoisseur of Anioma culture and tradition, “An aphorism in Idumuje clan
states Afu ekwune egbu ndi ichie, ekwu anuna, egbu ikolo. This means that an
elder who sees bad things going on and keeps quiet stands condemned, a young
man who refuses to abide by wise counsel of elders stands condemned”.
Chief
Biose’s incisive mind no doubt reflects
the wisdom of the ancient. But some neutral close observers and Prince
Chukwunonso’s opponents are likely to insist that Biose’s proverbs tend to
subject his person and his envisaged neutrality to acid test.
Let’s
assume indeed that there was a disruption of the Izu-Ani meeting. The first
question wise men may ask is, what really led to this act that could be seen as
an abomination? What did Chief Biose and men of good conscience like him do
during the simmering crisis that might have led to such a grave delinquency if
it actually took place.
The
opponents of Prince Nonso will raise questions about whether there was ever an
Izu-Ani considering what they called a
cavalier style leadership Prince Chukwunonso had imposed on the once serene
village. First, he was accused of crowning
himself king the same day his father died and barely hours after his
secret burial. This was alleged to be in a manner totally antithetical to the
tradition and culture of Ugboko people . And anyone who queried the obnoxious
mode of his father’s burial and his strange, unceremonious self coronation
without the leading traditional figures and members of the late king's council
were ostracized.
By
the time he was allegedly calling his
Izu-Ani , Prince Chukwunonso had stripped the General Congress of its
famed moral rectitude, spiritual purity
and incorruptibility , so much so that thoughts and conversations at such a
meeting could not be sublimed by the spirit of their ancestors.
If
there was ever an Izu-Ani, Prince Chukwunonso seemed to have unwittingly made
the meeting morally and spiritually debased having ostracized the highly
respected but now late, Prof Prince Somayina Gabriel Nwoko, OON, a retired
Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Ibadan and the
Community/Palace Secretary, Diokpa Prince Onwuamaonyeukwu Esuzor Nwoko, the
oldest man and head of the Nwoko Royal Family, a grandson of Obi Nwoko the
First , who has also passed on. Others so affected by Prince Nonso’s frenzy of
excommunication include Hon. Prince Ned Nwoko, Prince Danny Nwoko, the fourth
oldest in the Nwoko family, Prince Akaba Nwoko, the third oldest in the Royal
family and other 41 members of the community.
But
Prince Chukwunonso’s hysteria did not end there. He also ostracized the lyase,
the second-in-command to the king, Chief Christopher Ogwu and the Odogwu of the
kingdom, Chief Sunday Edemodu. Then add others that include Prince Solomon
Nwabuokei Nwoko, a contender for the throne,
Prince Uche Nwoko, another claimant to the throne and Prince Walters Onyeisi
Nwoko, a former President-General of Idumuje-Ugboko Development Union, IUDU,
2008-2012 .
Even
a quasi- literate observer would easily ask what brand of Izu-Ani could have
held under this frenzy and phobia for everyone of substance, Chiefs or leaders
of the community.
Those
opposed to Prince Chukwunonso’s perceived tin-god mode of leadership that could
so ostracize his elders would querry
Chief Biose’s seeming selective judgement and commentaries as he said nothing
about these ugly developments that humiliated the pillars of Ugboko spiritual
and cultural essence.
CHIEF
BIOSE'S GRAVE OMISSION OF THE UGBOKO TERROR
As
passionate as the elderly scion of Idumuje-Unor
seems to be about peace, Prince Chukwunonso's opponents are likely to
prick his conscience for the grave
omission of Idumuje-Ugboko’s most trying period which was between May 18-25,
2020.
In
this one week, terror, mayhem, atrocious crimes reigned in Ugboko and these
acts were reportedly perpetrated by hoodlums allegedly loyal to Prince Nonso.
I
read Chief Biose’s long essay two times and scanned through for a third time. I
didn’t see anywhere he mentioned this horrendous tragedy. To be clear, it was
in this period that Cyprian Kumiolun, the young Motor bike, Okada, rider was
shot dead right in front of the Palace. It is the reason of his cold blooded
murder that Prince Chukwunonso is now facing a murder trial. It is a trial
based on the confessions of two accused persons that have already attested to
carrying out the dastardly act according
to police sources. And Prince Chukwunonso’s name allegedly echoed again and
again in their confession.
It
was during this period that Kennedy lloh was maimed, beaten into coma and he eventually died. In
charge No MI/24/2020, the police arraigned Prince Chukwunonso and three others
on four count charges that include murder of Cyprian Kumiolun and Kennedy lloh.
This is apart from the alleged wanton destruction of properties and brutalizing
of all perceived Chukwunonso’s opponents.
A
ROYAL TESTAMENT TO THE MAYHEM
Prince
Daniel Odims Nwoko, a distinguished elderly member of the Nwoko Royal Family,
who is four years older than Prof Demas Nwoko, captured the grim picture of the
tragedy and horror that befell Idumuje-Ugboko. Hear Daniel Nwoko, “It is mere
sensationalism and sentimentality to pretend that nothing happened, that no one
was injured and properties were not destroyed. To do so is only to be
unreasonable and inhuman to the core. I went round Ugboko after the gory scene
and saw man’s inhumanity and the extent of the destruction …… What happened
that time was like a scene in a movie where unbelievables happen. Is it right
out of sentiment to gloss over it and give kudos to the perpetrators”, he
asked.
Prince
Daniel Nwoko’s caustic remarks are contained in a June 1, 2020 letter he sent
to Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, a prominent businessman, an entrepreneur and Ugboko
indigene he accused of being Prince Chukwunonso’s main financier and the pillar
behind all his acts against Ugboko people.
Prince
Daniel Nwoko related his family’s atrocious humiliation by Prince Chukwunonso
thus, “I am more aggrevieved than any of my brothers because I, my wife, my
daughter and my in-laws were rubbished, disgraced and battered by Nonso”.
Those
opposed to Prince Nonso's alleged manifest gangsterism as captured by his own
uncle will take Chief Biose to task. The Ode-Uri may need to honestly explain
to them how he heard of the disruption of Izu-Ani in which some people were
merely injured but did not hear about a week of terrorism in Ugboko which the
police and various civil society organisations visited to behold the extent of
the horrific destruction, a barbaric orgy of violence in which two lives were
lost. This is a tragic incident for which some of the perpetrators including
the President- General of IUDU, Okay Ifejoku, are now facing terrorism charges
at a Federal High Court in Abuja. How is it that a prominent Anioma leader like
Chief Christopher Biose knew nothing about this monstrous devastation or chose
not to say anything about it ?
Posterity
would certainly ask if Chief Biose preferred to protect an ill-tempered
Prince who had seemingly abused his
royal heritage to saving lives of his endangered people.
Keeping a curious silence over the terror in
Ugboko and focusing only on the Izu-Ani, for this writer, is like a reharsh of
Dr Ogbechie’s article in Vanguard of May 21, 2020. In it, Dr Ogbechie asserted
that there was no succession issue in Idumuje-Ugboko, that Obi Chukwunonso sits
on the throne and then went ahead to talk about how some thugs and hoodlums
came to disrupt two meetings called by Obi Chukwunonso at the palace before some
Ugboko youths fought back. In his words, “……….. The meeting is called Izu Ani
…………. I was informed that while this meeting was just starting, thugs came and
destroyed the canopies, chairs, and all the meeting materials and chased all
the people away”.
Dr
Ogbechie added that a second meeting scheduled for May 23, 2017 was also
disrupted. And, “this time, there was a push back”, he said , adding , “Some
youths in the community defended the palace, chased the thugs away and
allegedly attacked those they perceived were fomenting trouble in the village”.
From
Ogbechie’s account, it is clear the reverred Chief Biose is on the same page
with him. But Ogbechie was at least gracious enough to acknowledge the Mayhem
of May 18-25, 2017 by accepting that Ugboko youths resorted to self- help at a
supposed second disruption of Izu-Ani . The bruising truth however is that it
is hard to believe either of the accounts given by Chief Biose and Dr Ogbechie as up till this
day, there has not been a strand of evidence to buttress their allegations.
On the contrary, the crystal evidence of the
havoc in Ugboko in May 2017, is why Prince Nonso is today facing a murder
charge. It is for the same reason that a terrorism charge now looms over his
head like the sword of Damocles and some of his alleged accomplices have
already been arraigned for the same crime before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The
point here then is that those who see Chief Biose’s letter as evidently
jaundiced will point at these loopholes. They would ask how he heard of the
Izu-Ani attack that was not reported anywhere and condemned same without any
reservations. Yet this worthy-to-be called eminent elder of Anioma Nation
neither heard nor wrote about the one week of barbarous brigandage that was
reported in national publications and one in which the victims waited till
February 8, 2020, almost eight months before engaging the services of M.A
Abdulraman and Associates who on their behalf then sent a Save Our Soul letter
to the Inspector General of Police, IGP. Despite, all these the Chief maintained absolute
silence and when he wrote his peace-letter, he didn't remember to mention it.
There
is no question that Chief Biose may mean well, but all his good intention pales
out in the face of his loud silence on the mayhem and destruction of May 18-25,
2017.
The
fact that must be stressed here is that everyone desires peace in Ugboko
including Prince Nonso and his opponents. Even this writer would pray for it
and wish that Prince Chukwunonso Justin Nwoko would truly become a bonafide Obi
of Idumuje-Ugboko. But these wishes will
never spring from the manipulation of facts and vagaries of instincts , neither
would peace prevail without the presence of justice. In the face of these
facts, it may be safe to say that hard as Chief Biose tried to proclaim his
desire for peace and the force of his erudite and acerbic epistle , he may may failed to convince a discerning reader
conversant with the history of Ugboko’s running crisis.
THE
PURPOSE OF BIOSE's LETTER AND THE TRUTH
Chief
Biose said the purpose of his letter “is to throw light into the historical
facts on issues at stake in Idumuje-Ugboko with a view to assisting parties
involved to achieve lasting peace in the town”. Again, while the Chief did
justice to some historical aspects , he also provoked crucial questions in some
areas.
Let
us take a look at the two areas that Chief Biose summed up to be the
contentious issues. These he saw as communal allocation of land and succession
to the throne in Idumuje-Ugboko and he says they “are fairly straight forward”.
On
the land matter Chief Biose affirms that “the central bone of contention that
introduced discord in Idumuje-Ugboko was allocation of communal land to a
prominent son of the community, an issue that predated the reign of the present
king”. He then added that “……. Allocation of large tracts of communal land in
the community is not a matter to be rushed”. According to him " The land
area of Idumuje-Ugboko is quite small. If one person or a small group takes
over a sizeable portion of communal land, where will the teeming masses be
expected to earn their livelihood ? ".
To
illuminate Chief Biose’s statement, the prominent son to whom the land was
allocated is Prince Ned Nwoko and the land was for the purpose of building his
STARS University and a Golf Course. By stating that issue of communal land
should not be rushed, Chief Biose seemed
to be insinuating that the allocation of the land was still an issue , in
progress or in contention when His Royal Majesty, Obi Albert Nwoko III passed on. This is not the
case.
The
indisputable fact is that the land allocation was a long settled issue. And
Prince Ned went through a palpable Due Process to get the land allocation. The
land was approved by the Obi and his Council, approved by the Land Committee
and the final approval came from the very elitist Idumuje-Ugboko Development
Union, IUDU, at a meeting convened by the late President-General, Bennet Odor
on July 11, 2015. Prince Chukwunonso Nwoko was visibly present at this meeting.
He did not raise any objection. It was,
in fact, the IUDU that wrote the Aniocha North LGA on November 23, 2015 to
convey their community's approval and support for the university project and
the land allocated for it. With full approval obtained, Linas International
Ltd, Prince Ned’s organization applied to the Local Government for Customary
Right of Occupancy and this was promptly approved because there was no
dissenting voice to the application.
Prince
Chukwuonso could therefore be said to have deliberately planted the seed of the current crisis when
on August 12, 2015, he authored a letter and signed his father’s signature. The
letter purportedly written by Obi Albert Nwoko III claimed that he did not
approve any land for the university project. This fake letter was then shared
in marketplaces and circulated in
churches. Even though the king was still alive at this time, Prince Nonso from
all accounts made it impossible for anyone to see him, to at least confirm the
authenticity of the letter and the veracity of its content.
It
was the frustration arising from the king being held incommunicado that
compelled Prince Walters Eziashi, a former President-General of IUDU
(2008-2012) to petition the Commissioner
of Police, Delta state, on September 14, 2015, requesting him to investigate
the source and credibility of the letter Prince Nonso claimed to have emanated
from his father, Obi Albert Nwoko III .
On
February 24, 2016, the police after detailed investigations affirmed that the
letter was a product of forgery and at the approval of the Director of Public
Prosecution, Princes Nonso Nwoko, Ejimiofor Nwoko, Richard Obiajulu Nwoko and
others were charged before the Chief Magistrate Court 1 in suit No.
SMC/42OC/2016). Although they were granted bail, the court has since revoked it
because Prince Nonso and the other accused persons could not keep the terms of the bail.
Prince
Nonso would still proceed to sue the Aniocha North LGA claming that the process
leading to the land allocation was false. Again, on the 18th of June 2019, he lost
this case at the Agbor High Court with a cost awarded against him.
This
succinct history of the land and the suits which Prince Nonso lost is purely to
prove to Chief Biose, just in case he did not hear, that the land had long been
allocated without any issue before Nonso’s futile quest to stop his
cousin, Prince Ned from utilizing the
land for a people's oriented project it was meant for. One would have expected
that a modern, civilised 'Heir Apparent' like Nonso would have applauded such a
developmental project rather than allow some entrenched vision-less interests
to prod him into an acute error of judgement and catastrophic actions that have
now terribly jeopardized his kingship ambition and still his future.
I
must also confess that ,once again, Chief Biose by his own version of the land
allocation narrative, is strangely re-enacting the misrepresentation and
misinformation that tainted Dr Gabriel Ogbechie’s letter.
THE
SUCCESSION QUESTION.
Perhaps
the most important theme in Chief Biose's letter is the issue of succession to
the throne. Chief Biose writes that succession in Idumuje-Ugboko “is by
primogeniture”……which in Idumuje dialect is nwa sote okwulu, meaning “the first
(natural) son of the king grows up to inherit the throne of his father".
The Ode-Uri is correct to a large extent.
In
Ugboko, inheritance is not just by primogeniture which is Firstborn, it is
Agnatic Primogeniture, which is inheritance by Firstborn Son. So Prince Chukwunonso
is very qualified as an Heir Apparent, a Crown Prince and perhaps an Anointed
Successor if indeed his father, the late king anointed him while he was alive
or by rex iunior, through the Monarch’s Will.
The
Heir Apparent universally refers to a person who is first in order of
succession and cannot be displaced by the birth of another person. Here again,
Prince Chukwunonso stands qualified. However, despite this right, succession is
not exactly automatic. There are customs, customary laws and constitutional
rules in our Anioma nation and
jurisdictions all over the world that could stop an Heir Apparent if he
breached those rules.
The
Bible has the oldest account. Esau was the first son of Isaac in the Old
Testament and was the Heir Apparent to his Jacob, his father’s inheritance. But
he lost it for a mere mess of pottage, a small quantity of food.
In
England, the Heir Apparent, the Crown Prince, loses that right the moment he is
converted to Catholic faith. In Sweden, an Heir Apparent will lose that status according to the Act of
Succession if he married without the approval of the Monarch and the
government.
In
our Anioma Land, the Ibo speaking people of Delta state, we have our ethos, our
ethics, customs that guide behavioural patterns of kings and Princes. I do not
know a community in Anioma that a crown Prince that is guilty of adultery with
his brother’s wife will be allowed to succeed his father by the community. It
is a taboo and such a Prince could even be banished. And no Anioma Nation will
allow a Crown Prince to succeed his father if he had committed murder to the
knowledge of the community or found guilty of murder by a court of Law.
Prince
Chukwunonso’s case is unfortunately much more complicated. With breaches of
police and Court Summons in Delta state and Abuja, he remains a fugitive of the
Law. This alone automatically raises a red flag over his eligibility. No
government would give such a Prince any form of authority.
Prince
Nonso’s case is all the more worsened by his recent arraignment for murder.
Then add the terrorism case awaiting him in Abuja. To crown it all, even the
succession is still a subject of litigation in a court of competent
jurisdiction. And this case can sail all the way to the Supreme court. In a
snail-speed Nigeria’s judicial system, this case could take the next one and half to two decades and could out live
many of the litigants.
So,
I ask, how could anyone blame the Delta state government for not handing over a
Staff of Office to Prince Chukwunonso. If
the government dared, it would have been the height of executive recklessness.
In
concluding this treatise on our beloved Ugboko peace question, I owe it to my generation, the entire people
of Anioma, our Ancestors and posterity to speak truth without any equivocation.
Only that way can the Idumuje-Ugboko Royal conundrum be resolved.
That
truth is that only Ugboko can save itself. The assistance they need to do this
will hopefully come from the Anioma Royal Fathers.
But
Ugboko must reconcile itself. And that will begin with creating a rendezvous of
reconciliation and hope where dialogue with candour will pave way for peace.
Here, those that were the victims of the one week of trauma and soul stirring violence must be
assembled and apologies offered. This is necessary because they are the ones
that the world know as victims. They are the ones in court. They are the ones
that can make the difference.
Secondly,
like the Royal Fathers earlier recommended, let Prince Nonso reach out to all
those he ostracized and bring them back to the palace, to a table of
brotherhood for genuine dialogue of healing and reunification. Then, a process
can begin on how to withdraw all the court cases. This process will be
gruelling and would demand endurance, grit and granite will because lives have
been lost and people deeply hurt. But leaders of Anioma must press on until
they prevail.
I
have made this soulful appeal because Prince Chukwunonso Nwoko, an aspirational
king and scion of my Anioma Nation, by his current cases in court, is on a long
walk through the Golgotha and I do not see any grey light of hope at the end of
this wilderness. His slimmest chance of survival does not lie in the rhetorics
of some effete legal icons but on a sincere round table of brotherhood under
the tutelage of our Royal Fathers.
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