A PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE OKEREKE CHILEKE NWAHIAJOKU ROYAL FAMILY AND THE PEOPLE OF ATTA, IN RESPONSE TO THE VICIOUS AND UNWARRANTED POLICE LED MEDIA ATTACKS CALCULATED TO MISLEAD THE PUBLIC AND TRUNCATE THE DESERVED VICTORY OF THE FAMILY IN THEIR DEFENSE OF SEVERAL PETITIONS FOLLOWING THE CERTIFICATION OF THE FAMILY AS THE HOLDER OF THE HEREDITARY RIGHT TO THE EZE’S STOOL OF ATTA IN IKEDURU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF IMO STATE, BY THE EZE J. O. MURUAKOR COMMITTEE FOR IDENTIFICATION OF EZESHIP CANDIDATES IN IMO STATE, PANEL 4, OWERRI ZONE. • THE OKEREKE CHILEKE NWAHIAJOKU FAMILY DENY KNOWLEDGE AND COMPLICITY IN THE DEATH OF HON. BRENDAN OGUINYE. • CONTRARY TO POLICE AND PRESS REPORTS, NONE OF THE ARRESTED SUSPECTS MADE CONFESSIONAL STATEMENTS TO THE MURDER OF BRENDAN OGUINYE. • THE EZESHIP TUSSLE IN ATTA HAS SINCE LONG BEEN WON AND LOST, AS THE OKEREKE FAMILY HAS BEEN LEADING IN ALL THE PANELS AND COMMITTEES THE MATTER HAS APPEARED BEFORE, THE DEATH OF LATE OGUINYE CANNOT AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE CASE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, THERE COULD NOT BE A CREDIBLE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO ISSUES. • GEOFFRY ANIKA WOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THE DEATH OF OGUINYE THAN MOST OTHERS IN ATTA, HE WAS IN A LATE NIGHT MEETING WITH THE DECEASED ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER. • MARCELLUS EKWEZUE OF IMO COMMUNITY NEWS IN PARTICULAR COLLABORATED WITH ANIKA IN DISREGARD OF ALL ETHICAL DICTATES. • CHIEF EMMANUEL CHUKWUEMEKA IWUANYANWU IS THE SPONSOR OF THE FAILED BID BY GEO ANIKA FOR THE EZE’S STOOL IN ATTA, HE IS ALSO BEHIND MANY OTHER DIS-STABILIZING INTRIGUES IN ATTA COMMUNITY. • THE IMO STATE AUTHORITIES SHOULD QUERY CHIEF IWUANYANWU ON HIS INTERESTS IN ATTA COMMUNITY WHICH HE HAS INTERFERED WITH FOR TOO LONG, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE HAS TWICE GOTTEN SEPARATE AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY FROM *ATTA AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY TO *ATTA-WEST AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY AND NOW TO *AWO/OHII/DIM AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY. Our greetings to you all Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, with special thanks to the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, both at the national, regional and the Imo State levels, for affording us this opportunity to begin to tell our story, the true account of what the Ezeship tussle in Atta was all about, and why some influential personalities with vested interests, have gone to the unimaginable extent of murder and frame-up of innocent members of our family and many other men of integrity, loyalists and defenders of the true history of the Atta native rule, which started about 1875 with the enthronement of our third generation patriarch, Eze Chileke Nwahiajoku Duruemenaha, the first duly installed ruler of Atta and Ubahu unified into one Atta kingdom. More pressing is the need to unravel the mystery behind the murder of one of our illustrious sons Hon Brendan Oguinye, who has rendered public service to Ikeduru on two occasions as the chairman of Ikeduru Local Government Area, and as well, in another capacity to Atta people as the President General Of Atta Peoples’ Assembly. In death so gruesome, with a frame-up to cover the dastardly act, hence we unequivocally condemn and evoke the wrath of the God of our land Atta, and all the Umunne Spirits of Ikeduru to haunt and destroy the pepertrators of the murderous act, while we denounce the connivance of the immediate past Commissioner of Police, CP Kastina, who without proper investigation, so maliciously paraded two members of our royal family, Princes Iheoma and Iheanyichukwu Okereke, with two others, Nze Linus Akawomni and one other young man, Chinasa Uwalaka as having made confessional statements to the murder, a complete falsehood. Worse still, is the seeming disinterest of the press to investigate the validity of the baseless - former CP’s claims, and outright media conviction of the innocent suspects, leading to a blaze of negative reportage on the family antecedents, and the enthronement of falsehood. And we can authoritatively state here the condemnable role of One Geoffery Chiegene Anika, a member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, formally of Radio Nigeria. Now, we appeal to the NUJ to partner with Atta people to mount a campaign to pressure the Nigerian Police to really investigate the murder case and putv a searchlight on the immediate family of late Brendan Oguinye and his close allies as there is strong local consensus in Ogada that his murder could be from internal conflict within his Iwuala Njoku/Geoffery Anika support camp. His family know more than they are telling the police. OUR STORY: On the morning of 19th January 2014, the secretary of Atta Community Government Council, Mr. Godsave Ogbuji, telephoned the Palace Secretary, Prince Iheoma Okereke, informing him that he had been trying to call during the night to inform the prince of the suspected kidnap of the one-time council chairman without success, he went further to state that, worse had developed since the night, in that the body of the missing victim Hon. Brendan Oguinye had been discovered behind the victims home at Ezealaebo kindred in Ogada village of Atta, murdered. This fact was shortly confirmed by other oral accounts of passers-by who affirmed that the news was no longerv a secret as the entire community was in the know of the murderous dealings of the past night, that the towns people were rushing in droves to the scene of the crime in Ogada to see for themselves. It was not long after this sad news that a convoy of policemen in patrol vehicles invaded the Eze’s Palace Atta and promptly arrested two of the family members, Prince Iheoma Henry Okereke and Prince Iheanyichukwu Solomon Okereke, who discovered that they were not alone in the suspect list as the Cabinet Chief of Ogada Village, Okenze Francis Onuoha Ezeala, as well as the last President General of Atta Autonomous community, Mr. Sam Uche Obiakor, One Nze Linus Akawomni of the kindred unit, Ogada-Ama, as well as two youths, one male and one female of the family of a community leader, Mr. Eugene Ndu, supposedly another suspect, were also arrested. The lot were first driven to the Iho Divisional Police Headquarters, and shortly transfered to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Imo State police Command in Owerri. Later that same day of 19th January 2014, the suspects were cautioned and advised to make written statements, of which all the arrested suspects on that day made statements, denying involvement in the crime. Later, the commander of the Anti-kidnapping Squad one SP Linus Nwaiwu, interviewed the arrested men and the young lady, only to discover that the two youths both the male and female were not in anyway accused by the complainant, son of the victim of the murder, one Samuel Oguinye, nor was the Nze Linus Akawomni, nevertheless, all the arrested were detained for many days before the unlisted in the complainant’s statements were released on bail. However, the height of of the injustice of the arrest and detention was the parade of the innocent suspects by the officer In Charge of the Anti-kidnapping Squard, Mr. Nwaiwu and the former Commissioner of Police Imo State, CP Mohammed Kastina, who falsely claimed that the suspects had made confessional statements, laying the foundation for prolonged detention of the innocent people, and other sinister intentions which Gods intervention through his transfer from Imo State foiled. The Okereke brothers, the Cabinet Chief Francis Onuoha Ezeala and Mr. Sam Uche Obiakor were detained for several weeks, later, another prominent leader in Atta Chief Lambert Egbuchulam - (Oriheoma) and two other suspects, one Abuchi Nwachukwu and Nnanna Polly Eke were also arrested and detained for days and weeks respectively, the longest being the two Okerekes who were detained from the 19th of january – 27th of February 2014. We sadly observed that in all the injury done to the detainees, the press, showed a lack of will to stand up for fairness and balanced reportage of the story from the contending parties, excepting for the NEWSPOINT media house which gave vent to the family of the Eze-Elect CJ Okereke’s frustrations with the blank-out of the familys account events very much later. It is without doubt, the influence of Mr. Geo Anika, the pretender to the throne of Atta, who used his contacts in the NUJ to kill off all stories emanating from the Okereke camp, even when the concerned citizens from Atta staged a counter rally to the widely reported rally sponsored by Geo Anika with the support of Chief Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Iwuanyanwu. With the full support of Mr. Marcellus Ekwezuo of Imo Community News playing the role of the devils advocate for Geoffery Anika, his colleague in that rascal media house, Ekwezuo published outright falsehood with unethical zeal right from the onset in July 2013, when the Atta case was looked into by an arbitration committee at the CGC Ministry in which he was a member, he started the negative media war against the Okereke family interests. His excesses led to his removal from the committee. Let him tell the world his interest in the case. THE EMMANUEL IWUANYANWU ANGLE: It was Easter Sunday 2012, a prominent son of Atta, Sir. Polly Chima Ubaechu, called on the Eze-Elect Chijindu J Okereke and informed him that the influntial chief and politician Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Iwuanyanwu, wished that he and another prominent son of Atta, Dr. Osmond Ukanacho accompany the Prince to visit Chief Iwuanyanwu. For the record, Chief Iwuanyanwu, has since the year 2002 carved out another autonomous community called Atta-West, out of the old Atta, recently, he has again split Atta-West into two, himself, moving away again into a new autonomous community with the name Awo/Ohii/Dim Autonomous Community. At the appointed time at about five O’clock or thereafter, Sir. Polly Ubaechu drove down to pick two members of the ruling family the Eze-Elect Chijindu Josiah, and his younger brother Iheoma Henry, and headed to Umuhu-Ukwu Atta, the village of Dr. Ukanacho. Ukanacho was entertaining a large gathering of his political allies on arrival to his home, nevertheless, he excused himself to join the trio, towing along some other friends including onetime councilor of Atta Ward II, Hon. Thompson Uzoukwu, and the convoy of three cars drove to the Orji, residence of Chief E.C. Iwuanyanwu. The chief was not in his usual seat at his palor on arrival, hence Sir. Polly went inside the living section to search him out, he returned to indicate that the chief prefered a private audience with just the five of Sir. Polly himself, the Eze-Elect CJ Okereke and his brother Iheoma, Dr. Osmund and counselor Thompson, in a small office at his home. The chief did not waste time with pleasantries, he briefly queried the Eze-Elect to tell him the outcome of the tussle at the Imo State government constituted Committee On Identification of Traditional Ruler Candidates, Panel 4, Owerri Zone, to which Atta Autonomous Community had elected to submit to for settling the protracted dispute over the rightful family with the hereditary right to the Ezeship stool of the community. Eze-Elect CJ Okereke briefly outlined the facts of the proceedings at the Eze Sir. J. O. Nuruakor panel, stating how the community embraced the intervention of the Imo State government in settling the dispute, in a meeting jointly convened by the then Atta Peoples’ Assembly President General Mr. Sam Uche Obiakor, and the Atta Community Speaker then Mr. Daniel Ugwoegbu at Atta Central School had agreed that since it was a contest between just two families for determination of which held the hereditary right to the Eze’s Stool of the community, the Okereke Chileke family who had taken the case to court was mandated to withdraw same and submit to the government brokered arbitration. Efforts were made for the two families in contention to consider settling on their own under whatever terms would insure peace and the community would endorse same, however on the failure of the effort, it was unanimously agreed that the panel would be enjoined to get to the root of the matter and determine the rightful family from examining the claims the families had earlier submitted to the panel. At that stage, Chief Iwuanyanwu interrupted the Eze-Elect and asked that he stoped there. He now declared it was the idea of a hereditary Ezeship that he stood against, saying he would not accept a situation where as he put it, one family would be lording it over the rest of the community. He went further to say, he would only relent if the Eze-Elect would accept to sign a comitment to him, that the Ezeship stool would be rotated amongst the villages of Atta, he would, with the help of Sir. Polly Ubaechu, Dr. Osmund Ukanach and some other notable individuals in Atta, sponsor the coronation and speedily obtain the Staff Of Office from the Imo State Government as he had done severally elsewhere, otherwise, he declared, he would fight the Eze-Elect CJ Okereke. To cut a long story short, the Crown Prince of Atta rejected his three day ultimatum to sign the demanded mandate, rather, Prince CJ asked for time to seek the face of God on the matter, and to consult with his kinsmen of Umueze and the royal family. The chief fummed, asking if it was God that would crown the Eze, threatening – ‘I will fight you, I will fight you’, he was later to add, ‘Look at me, Can you rise if I fall upon you? That was the declaration of war by chief Iwuanyanwu against the Chileke Nwahiajoku ruling family of Atta. and the battles have been fought on many fronts, the spate of petitions and rivalry seen in this particular tussel since the Eze Sir. J. O. Muruakor panel 4, Owerri Zone, Imo state has been sponsored from Atta-West and now Awo/Ohii/Dim autonomous community where the obase chief has in his evil grip. On the 30th of december 2012, in a concillatory gesture after consultations with supporters, the Eze-Elect CJ Okereke, accompanied by over a delegation of Atta leaders numbering over 50 personalities, including Sir Polly Ubaechu, paid a curtesy visit to the Chief in the spirit of the yulitide season, but the chief took offence at the Eze-Elects efforts at reasoning with him on the surprise package of the previous easter Sunday. The high point of that visit was a declaration by Chief that “If this one is made Eze in Atta, he would not allow me to cross the land”. This is the genesis of the renewed crisis of the Ezeship tussle in Atta after the Eze Murakor panel settled the case. Chief Iwuanyanwu has ever since then sponsored the activities of the opposition in Atta Autonomous community. Geofery Anika has only been an inconsequential stooge, until the murderous events of 18th/19th January 2014, when he went into an overdrive, hoping to frame the Okereke Chileke family and thereby win a lost bid to the Ezeship stool of Atta by other means at the costly expense of innocent souls. The question left for Mr. Geofrey Chiegene Anika to answer is this, why lead the police investigators on a wild goose chase knowingly, while it was pretty obvious that the false trail after the Okereke family was giving the real perpetrators of the crime ample time to cover their tracks?. Signed, Prince Iheoma Henry Ozuomba Okereke. (Palace Secretary) For the royal family.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 03:48:38 +0000