The crisis over which village’s kindred in Abiaha that will produce the occupant of the throne of newly established Imeama –Umuabi autonomous community, Udi local government area in Enugu state got messier yesterday as leaders of Umuezenchi village cried out over threats to their lives.
The Umuezenchi village leaders stated that their lives are now under serious threats from certain members of the autonomous community for taking the contention over the occupant of the Igweship stool to the Enugu High court.
Since the community was accorded recognition this year as an autonomous community, crisis had erupted over attempts by certain prominent persons of the area to relegate seniority which had been the basis for rotation of the chieftaincy stool of the area.
It was gathered that some influential and wealthy persons from the autonomous community have made serious moves to thwart the established order by trying to deny Umuezenchi, which is the eldest village in Abiaha kindred the opportunity to produce the occupant of the seat. Sources said the community had always used seniority in the distribution of offices.
Perturbed by the development, leaders of the Umuezenchi village, which believed that it was their turn to produce a traditional ruler being the most senior in the area, had taken an action against certain persons in the autonomous community for allegedly plotting to relegate the village and allot the position to another.
In an open letter signed by their lawyer, Mr C.C Okoro, he stated that the lives of Chief James Eze, Chief Harrison Aneke and Ichie Enwolumike Emmanuel Agu have been under threat since they took the matter to court on behalf of Umuezenchi village and called on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to intervene.
He said: “Since the institution of the said lawsuit, our clients have been receiving series of threats from people of their community both within and outside Enugu state. We have already made formal reports to relevant security agencies in order to ensure the safety of the lives and property of our clients
“Our Clients did not commit any offence by exploring a legal solution to their grievances neither have they committed any sacrilege against the gods of Imeama –Umuabi land. On the contrary, it is those people who reneged on the earlier agreement and desecrated the age-long tradition of seniority as basis for sharing things in the community that deserved to be reprimanded and not our clients who are fighting a just cause through a non-violent means.
“We therefore urge all those individuals who are being sponsored to harass our clients by threatening their lives to desist forthwith as the long arms of the law will sooner than later catch up with them and their sponsors. A word is enough for the wise”.
