The People of Okpanku Village in Adakam Amumara Autonomous Community, Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, have petitioned the Inspector General of Police over alleged assault and violent oppression by the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Ositadinma Nwokocha.
In a Save-Our-Soul letter to the IGP, the people appealed for an urgent intervention to save them from the hands of the monarch.
The petition, dated 5th April, 2023 was signed by the Chairman General of the village, Anayochi Eric; Council Chairman, Chukwuemeka Okeosisi and Secretary General, Simon Amechi.
The village heads alleged that the traditional ruler has been intimidating, assaulting and inducing the arrest of villagers on false allegations.
The petition reads in part: “The said traditional ruler has on several occasions orchestrated the storming and invasion of our villages by unknown armed men who unleash mayhem, breaking down doors, assaulting, humiliating and abducting our people and taking them to the Ezinihitte Police Area Command where they are framed with false allegations and extorted of various sums of money for no known offence.
“The traditional ruler uses this as a tactic to intimidate and silence our people from questioning his involvement in a land dispute in Okpanku village which is currently in court. He is also involved in illegal sand dredging business in the community rivers crisscrossing three villages and uses local armed thugs to harass and intimidate people who elected him as their Traditional Ruler.
“Invitation by the D3 CID of Imo State Police Command, Owerri recently extended to one of the traditional ruler’s dangerously armed boys, Chibuenyi Nwachukwu from his Obibi village for unlawful possession of firearms is yet to be honoured. The suspect coordinates the traditional ruler’s interests in illegal dredging business in the community, a source of communal tension. Chibuenyi has been involved in several violent attacks and the use of a pump action rifles to harass, threaten and injure people on behalf of the traditional ruler. The police invitation to him was prompted by a complaint lodged at the Imo State Police Headquarters for unlawful possession of firearms by Amumaraokahia village. But the traditional ruler has been shielding the suspected criminal.
“Attempts by operatives from D3, State CID, Owerri, Imo State Police Headquarters to arrest the said Chibuenyi have also not been successful owing to interferences by the traditional ruler. This is precisely why we are requesting that Zone 9 Umuahia be directed to step in.
“The most recent incident of invasion by unknown armed men at the behest of the traditional ruler happened on the 30th of March, 2023. The traditional ruler, Eze Nwokocha, for the umpteenth time, personally led a team of the armed men to Okpanku village where they broke down doors, beat up men and women, old and young and took away a young man and an over 75-year old man and headed to Obowo, a neighboring community. The armed invaders who operated in 4 Hilux trucks collected the sum of N10,000 from the young man at Obowo and left him to find his way back home while they took the old man who had no money to Ezinihitte Police Area Command and dumped him in the cell.When a member of the community contacted the Force PRO, who in turn, contacted the Imo State Police PRO, the PRO reached out to the Area Commander Ezinihitte Area Command who told the PRO that the old man was brought to him with an allegation of unlawful possession of firearms. The PRO asked the Area Commander to either charge the man to court or transfer him to the state headquarters for discrete investigation.
“The next day, the old man was transferred to the state headquarters, Owerri where upon interrogation by unbiased officers, the allegation was found to be false and the traumatized old man was promptly released to go home. The traditional ruler has been doing this same thing over and over again against his people and he is not going to stop unless he is called to order.
“We therefore, humbly request for: a discrete investigation into the role of the traditional ruler, Eze O.B. Nwokocha of Adakam, in cavorting with and frequently inviting unknown armed men into an otherwise peaceful community in this trying times of insecurity; engendering a state of terror and fear in Adakam community, and his use of the armed men to terrorize community members in order to protect his personal financial benefits from land disputes and illegal dredging activities that are damaging the environment”.
