Eze Charles Chionye Ngwuli, traditional ruler in Afugiri, Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia State has been accused of courting violence and the breakdown of law and order in his Umuegwu-Obiohuru Autonomous
Community.
In a petition written against the traditional ruler to the Abia State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs by a cross section of the indigenes of Umuokoroala-Obiohuru village in the Umuegwu-Obiohuru
Autonomous community, Eze Charles Ngwuli was alleged to have usurped the authority of the Village Head elected by the Umuokoroala Obiohuru Village, refused to recognize the elected Village Head and imposed a person not duly elected on the village as the Village Head.
The petition also alleged that Eze Charles Ngwuli directed the change of the
age-long custom and tradition of the Community regarding the presentation of
kolanuts or “Ipa-Oji” Eze Ngwuli, the petition alleged, directed that rather than
kolanut being presented in a gathering to the eldest member or “opara” of the
community or persons in a gathering, Eze Ngwuli directed that kolanut should
be presented at any gathering of persons in the community to the chairman of the Community or any person representing the chairman at that gathering.
This change, the aggrieved members of the Community alleged is a drastic negation from their age-long custom and tradition regarding the presentation of kolanut,
and passed on to them by their forefathers.
These unlawful actions on the part of Eze Ngwuli, as alleged, has resulted in
allegations of oppression against certain sections of the Community, and unfair
and prejudicial treatment against them by Eze Ngwuli.
Indigenes of the Community are of the opinion that if these wrongful activities of the traditional
ruler are not checked, law and order may break down in the Community, resulting in violence.
At the time of writing this report, it is not clear if the Abia State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has intervened in the matter or requested
the traditional ruler to respond to the Petition.
