HRH Eze S.P Iwuh, the traditional ruler of the Umuokrika autonomous community in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, is accused of disrupting the digging of a grave for the burial of his cousin, Prince Nicholas Iwuh, aged 75 years, using the Nigeria Police Force in the council area. According to Mr. Cajetan Iwuh, one of the monarch’s cousins, while addressing newsmen, “Today, Thursday, April 4th, 2024, at approximately 7.30 a.m., policemen in uniform and fully equipped, raided our family compound like commandos and abruptly halted the grave diggers from digging any further as the burial place of our eldest brother, Prince Nicholas Iwuh, who died on December 7th of last year and the family decided to bury him today.
” Eze S.P Iwuh is claiming that the burial site is part of his land which is not true, the kinsmen have tried the matter and advised him to desist from the claim. The burial site doesn’t belong to him. He’s using his position to cause havocs, intimidate and create confusion in the family.
” The youths are threatening to cause mayhem but we’re pleading with them. Members of the community are not happy over the high handedness of the traditional ruler. He doesn’t want to obey justice. He’s a sadist” he alleged.
An eyewitness Mr. Ndubuisi Anyanwu also told this reporter that as of the time of filing the story, police officers were still in the property and barricaded major gates to the neighbourhood in an effort to prevent the burial. Anyanwu also said that anxiety and suspense had spread throughout the town as youths threaten a showdown while advising the traditional ruler to sue for peace. This current squabble appears to be justification for the monarch’s ongoing feud with the uncle’s offspring of late Chief Bennett Iwuh (Onyekuma Onyekuma of Umuokirika).
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The uncle’s children had previously accused the revered traditional ruler of unduly influencing the police, particularly the Police Area Command and Imo State Police Command Tiger Based Section in Owerri, by unjustly intimidating, harassing, abducting, and detaining them, their children, and wives over minor family misunderstandings that he should have handled as the current head of Iwuh’s royal dynasty. They also accused him of exploiting legal proceedings in order to distract and profit from them, but expressed thankfulness that in the majority of cases, decisions were in their favour, regretting that the traditional ruler is unyielding in fomenting trouble against them at whatever cost.
Previously, before today (Thursday 4th April,2024), the family appears to be in turmoil, over the burial of Prince Nicholas Iwuh, aged 75 years, who died on Thursday 7th December, 2023 as the first son of Late Chief Bennett Iwuh, as they accused the traditional ruler of fighting dirty to ensure that the burial plans of the deceased are frustrated and aborted by again using the Police Area Command in Ezinihitte Mbaise to intimidate, harass, and detain the deceased wife.
They lamented that the Royal Father, as tradition permits, if he’s so sincere in instituting peace and appreciating what their father, whom he was one of the Administrators of his will did for him in life, he should have used either the family, the kindred, the village, the Council of Chiefs or the Eze in Council’s dispute resolution mechanism to address any of the burning issues, but instead he takes delight in undue intimidation, harassment, and detention of his first cousin.
They insisted on burying their elder brother and father as scheduled and at the appropriate spot, despite reported efforts by the traditional king and his son-Nnamdi to thwart the process, citing equality and natural justice as their guiding principles.
They further accused the revered Royal Father of masterminding the forced eviction of his twin brothers, Benjamin and Everest, from a contested ancestral family house in 2009, allegedly using his sons Nnamdi and George to do it. In response, HRH Eze S.P. Iwu informed The Authority that he has “no comment on this matter, yes” and aggressively requested the reporter to “please get out .”
He said, “The thing is in the court; go to the court.”
