By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Former Senator, Alphonsus Igbeke, aka Ubanesse, has been suspended from all community activities.

The elders of his country home, Nsugbe in Anambra East in Anambra State took the decision of his excommunication.

The Council of Elders drawn from ten villages including Nsugbe town, who passed their judgment on Wednesday, had accused Ubanesse of abducting and causing the forced disappearance of eight youths including teenagers of the community for 21 years now in collaboration with some police officers.

The council also known as ‘Ndi Eze Nsugbe’ further imposed a fine of N1 million against Igbeke for using the police to hound youths who opposed his reign of terror in the community.

They also imposed a fine of N100,000 on any son or daughter of the community who associates or interacts with the senator within the period of his suspension.

Elder Obi Paul Nwankwo, the Head of the Council while announcing the council's decision said, “That Senator Ubanesse abducted and locked two of our sons in police custody since 13th of November 2022 till January 17, 2023.

“That they (Council of Elders) pleaded with Ubanesse to release those boys.

“That Ubanesse promised them that he would release the boys because they committed no offence, but he didn’t fulfill his promises.

“That even when they went to State CID, Awka, to see if the police would respect them as elders to grant those boys bail, that Ubanesse asked the DCP state CID not to see them. That Ubanesse even boasted to them that they were lucky that the police did not lock them up.

“That this is a great insult to Nsugbe community. This is a great insult to Nsugbe Council of Elders.

“Henceforth Senator Igbeke is hereby fined the sum of N1 million. Anybody from Nsugbe community who associates himself with Senator Ubanesse Igbeke will be fined N100, 000,” the Council declared.

In December, two youth leaders in Nsugbe community, identified as Chidi Akudo and Charles Obodoechina, were arrested and detained by the Anambra State Police Command, allegedly on the orders of Igbeke.

The community said the “offence” of the two youths was that they obeyed the elders of the community to clear bushes along the power line that brought electricity to the community after a two-year blackout “so that our people can celebrate the Christmas and New Year with light.”

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