Tension has gripped the people of Ibagwa-Nike community in Enugu-East
Local Government Area of Enugu State following disagreement between
the traditional ruler, Igwe Emmanuel Ugwu, and some villagers over the
right group to organise this year’s New Yam Festival.
Ugwu reportedly marked the festival on August 16, another group, led
by the former Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly and
Secretary of the Umuanekeode family in Ibagwa Nike, Hon Maurice Ekete,
was said to have fixed another celebration for last Sunday. However,
the exercise was reportedly aborted.
Trouble started when armed policemen invaded the village square, venue
of the celebration, shooting sporadically, apparently in a bid to
scare the young men who trouped out from going ahead with the
festival.
The ensuing pandemonium made some villagers to take to their heels for
fear of becoming victims of the power tussle between the monarch and
the group.
When contacted, Ekete, claimed to be in hiding to avert arrest by the
police who, he said, were acting on the orders of the traditional
ruler despite an order of a High Court restraining them from
interfering with the celebration of their New Yam festival.
Ekete alleged that some villagers had suffered harassment and
intimidation as a result of the crisis over the community’s
traditional stool.
He said: “We have an issue in my community. We slated our New Yam
Festival on 30th August. As you are aware, we have problem with the
Igwe and as such we have two festivals. He celebrated his own on
August 16 while we chose 30th. But after holding his own, he has been
using the police to harass us. We are even more worried that despite
an order which we obtained from a High Court on 27th, the police still
flooded our celebration. They have now declared a man-hunt for those
involved in the festival.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP
Ebere Amaraizu, dismissed the claim that people were living in fear in
the community.
Amaraizu said that the police merely went there to help maintain law and order.
The PPRO, who denied the allegation that the police disobeyed a court
order which restrained them from interfering with the activities of
the people in question, said no court order would encourage people to
take laws into their hands
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