Enugu Monarch Clears Himself of Demolition of Blind Man’s House
On Thursday, Igwe Christopher Okwor, the king of Enugu, refuted allegations that he had destroyed the home of blind man Anibeze Nnadi, residing in the Ihekwuenu autonomous community in Aku, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area.
According to Ndiigboworldwide, the Ezemagu family erected the house as a charity for the blind man. Later, the mansion was controversially razed, with the contributors claiming the king was responsible for the demolition. In response, the monarch charged that the contributors had constructed the mansion on contested territory and then demolished it to appease the public.
A local resident named Chinwe Ede claims that the Ezemagu family constructed the home for the blind guy, but he also notes that “the land is being disputed at a court.” But he blamed the arguments on Igweship rivalries.
Interviews with the blind guy were unsuccessful since it was revealed that his cousin, Mrs. Amuka, had flown him away to an unidentified place because she was upset about how the Ezemagu family had taken use of him for their own benefit.
In response, Igwe Okwor claimed that Nnamdi Ezemagu was behind the fresh effort against him, using it as a ruse to seize a disputed land from him. He claims that the disputed land has been the subject of legal disputes.
“They are throwing in everything within their reach to achieve their objective just because Chief Emmanuel Ezemagu, their father, lost the Igweship contest to him,” Igwe Okwor said, asserting that the Ezemagu family had previously pledged to overthrow him.
“The media’s portrayal of the demolition of the blind man’s house is a rehash of an incident from 2021 to elicit sympathy from the public,” he declared. I refrained from destroying the blind man’s home.
According to Okwor, when the first incidence occurred in 2021, Mrs. Nkechi Ugwu-Oju, the then-Chairman of the Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, gave N4 million for the erection of a new structure for the blind guy on undisputed property. He claimed that the Ezemagu family, however, declined to spend the money.
Why would they insist on constructing on the disputed land if they truly cared for the blind man? This is a land-claim technique, not a charitable act. After the Ezemagu family destroyed the blind man’s old home, they moved him to the disputed territory.
He asserted that the scheme was to remove him from his throne. He stated, “They are making every effort to ensure my removal because they declared they will never accept the fact that I beat their father in the Igweship competition. That’s even the reason this property dispute began in the first place, and it explains why they won’t let up. However, they have fallen short.
He said that he was being pitted against the public by having the building at the disputed land cited. He was quoted as saying, “They are trying to set me up by going to tear down the identical house they are building for the blind man so that people would blame me when they run to the media. It’s not hard to see right through their cunning. But the truth is stronger than them.
According to Mr. Chris Okwor, one of the traditional ruler’s sons, “In 2021, Nnamdi Ezemagu threatened my father due to a long-standing land dispute.” Tension increased when my father won the Igweship from his uncle, Emmanuel Ezemagu. When Ezemagu started building close to my father’s construction site, there were fights and the police intervened.
“Nnamdi Ezemagu insisted that my father’s building be partitioned and made up a story about having given my father land. Ezemagu persisted in his nighttime construction despite police demands to stop.
We learned all of a sudden that the structure had been demolished. Politicians dissatisfied with my father’s moral character took advantage of the circumstance to remove him from office, citing unrest in the neighborhood.
He claimed that because of political undertones, the Ezemagu family turned down the financial assistance offered by the former LGA chairman:
“They never cared about the welfare of the blind man; instead, they were only interested in securing the land and finding ways to stir up trouble in the community,” the man claimed.
He went on, “The government is thinking of bringing Igwe Okwor back, which is why there are continuous efforts to improve public opinion. Following Igwe’s suspension, a committee was formed by the state government to investigate the situation. Unfortunately, the Ezemagu family brought police from Abuja and arrested him before the government could release its findings. They even went so far as to deface his home.
Claiming that Dr. Malachy Ugwu was attacked for heading a delegation to inform former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi about the N4m aid by the former Chairman of Igbo-Etiti LGA, he claimed that Nnamdi Ezemagu was used to blackmailing anyone “who stands for the truth”.
He went on, “The media lambasted Mr. Chinedu Okike, the previous DPO of Ogbede, for informing police officials about the land issue. Additionally, they criticized the FCID Annex in Enugu for looking into and accusing Ezemagu and his friends of a number of crimes.
Nnamdi Ezemagu responded by calling the royal family’s stance “a calculated attempt to divert the attention of the public” and claiming that a man named Kenechukwu had been detained and had subsequently admitted to the crime of destroying the blind man’s house in 2021.
According to Okeke Ukpanya, a community local, “the blind man is from Uwani-Otobo, Umuezike village.” Ukpanya urged the Enugu State government to act in order to prevent retaliatory strikes that could degenerate into chaos.
Enugu Monarch Clears Himself of Demolition of Blind Man’s House
