By Echem Ogodo
What could be better described as a taboo in Izzi land has taken place at Obegu Azuiyiokwu in Izzi Unuphu community in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Our reporters gathered that an alleged group led by one Mr. Sunday Edigbo, the sitting village head of Obegu Azuiyiokwu in Izzi Unuphu community stormed the compound of the Technical Assistant to Ebonyi State Governor on Power and Energy, Deacon Samuel Uguru and sealed his houses with a fresh palm leaves in the village.
This action attracted the attention of people within the area who expressed surprise and described the sealing of the houses with a fresh palm leaves as a sacrilege in Izzi land.
Our reporters approached those who sealed the houses to ascertain what led to the sealing of the houses at that spot and they allegedly stated that Mr. Samuel Uguru who was their former village head owed the villagers "millions of Naira and refused to pay it."
Several attempts made by our reporters to hearing from the sitting village head, Mr. Sunday Edigbo proved abortive as he kept postponing dates to speak on the matter.
But, the former village head, Deacon Samuel Uguru told our newsmen that the incident took place on Wednesday 23 September, 2020 when he was inside his house but as he came outside, he was surprised at the way his gates were sealed up with fresh palm leaves.
According to him, his compound, shops, houses including those rented out were sealed up by the same group of people.
Uguru said, the act is a great taboo and first of its kind in the community, pointing that it is against the custom and tradition of Izzi land.
He was speaking from his investigation where he learnt that, the act will only be carried out if someone dies in Izzi land especially when the person has no survival, and expressed surprise why a certain group in his village decided to celebrate for his death while he is still alive.
"Base on this, I began to search for the parties involved and carried out this sacrilegious act, and eleven persons, including Paul Okekwe, Sunday Edigbo, David Mbam, Nwabueze Okemini, Chibuike Onicha, Sunday Otzueka, Ekene Nkuda, Oyibo Nkwuda were in the forefront. They were eleven persons, I saw that day. I recognize them very well and I know their families.
"They maybe more than eleven, and their leaders are Sunday Edigbo, Paul Okekwe, Oyibo Nkwuda, who said that they wouldn't live to see me progressing in this village.
"They are looking ways to ensure that my life is terminated. Their prayer is to see me become nothing and my future is completely crippled. Their hearts from this action entail that are fully bittered."
Further, he noted that he had handed over to Mr. Sunday Edigbo as a former village head as directed by the former Caretaker Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Hon. Ben Nwovu.
"We have no problems. They asked me to do account. But since the inception of this village, none of the former village leaders did account after leaving office.
"For now, I owe nobody to deserve sealing up my properties. There was summer bolehole stolen by unknown thieves. This took me to Police, and not even settled, I was sued to Court and we are still on the matter.
"But I suspect that their hands are connected to the lost of the stolen items in the bolehole, since the case is still in the Court, the group went and replaced the summer, just to indict my name", Uguru hinted.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the sealing of his houses, stressing that, "what the people did is a taboo in our land. All my tenants have packed out. They were all afraid for having seen their houses sealed up by the village members knowing fully well I was the former village head and currently the Technical Assistant to the state Governor.
"Those who rented my shops have packed out. I have paid over 4.4 million Naria to my tenants who packed out, as they were not comfortable with the sacrilegious action of the group. I know sealing one's house with a fresh palm leaves is an omen of highest order, even when I am alive.
"I appeal to government and other relevant authourities to intervene. I have equally ascertained from the elders of Izzi land who said, our people abhor such act and I equally sought for their intervention too."
It could be recalled that at Ndinkwuda in Igbeagu Community, Izzi Local Government Area in the state, about eight compounds were dug graves by a group led by one time coordinator, Philip Alieze and cohorts after ostracizing the families over a trivial matters with their properties worth millions of Naira vandalized.
Till now, the matter is still in the Court and those people have not been sleeping at their compounds unless the land is cleansed according to Izzi custom and tradition if not something unusual might happen in the area as our reporters gathered.
Numerous cases related to these which were described as a sacrilege still unfolding in the area.
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