The Royal Family of Odenigbo, of Akpakwume community, Udi Local Government of Enugu State, has made a ?Save-Our-Soul? call on Governor Peter Mbah over the continued incarceration of its 86-year-old blind monarch, Igwe Ekwueme Odenigbo by the Enugu State Police Command.

Children of the monarch, Pastor Solomon Ekwueme and Ozioma Roseline Ekwueme who addressed newsmen at a press briefing in Enugu yesterday, appealed to Gov Mbah to come to the aid of their ailing father and their younger brother from ?unlawful incarceration.?

They also appealed to the senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Osita Ngwu; the Executive Chairman of Udi Local Government Area, Hyginus Ogbonnia Agu and well-meaning Nigerians ?to come to our help and effect the immediate release of our 86-year-old blind father and our younger brother from the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Enugu formally known as Prison.?

?It is heartbreaking for us to be called back to Enugu that our aged and blind father, a retired elder in the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the king of our community has been locked up by the Nigeria Police and charged to a Magistrate Court and subsequently sent to prison at the behest of a man that has been nothing short of a terror to the entire people of Akpakwume community.

They alleged that ?on the 23rd of December 2024, a man identified as Chief Okolo barged into the our father?s palace with over 20 boys bearing guns, axes and matches. They tossed our father, the Igwe, around like a piece of rag, held our mother the Lolo to a chokehold, beat up some persons that were in the compound that tried to mount a resistance.

The same man forced himself into our fathers? room, took his Certificate of Oath, Staff of Office and royal crown.?

They also alleged that: ?He also made away with some of our fathers? portraits, official stamp and some cash from donations for the planned cabinet inauguration of his new Igwe-In-Council scheduled for 31th day of December 2024 and gifts from his subjects for the Christmas festivities.

?He claimed that the governor, Dr. Peter Mbah and the Commissioner for Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Deacon Okey Ogbodo had dethroned our father and authorised him to carry out his action.

?This is a decision the people of Akpakume are yet to receive any formal communication till this date and have never heard any announcement by the Governor or Commissioner substantiating it.?

But in a swift reaction, the Commissioner, Deacon Ogbodo, told newsmen that the monarch was undermining the state government and had been suspended.

He accused the monarch of giving authorisation to a company, Eta-Zuma Mining Company to mine in the community without the state government?s knowledge, playing double standard and causing crisis in his community.Mm

Ogbodo, however, he admitted that some of the items the monarch?s children accused the man, Chief Okolo, aka Zion of taking away from the palace on December 23, such as Certificate of Oath and Staff of Office were in his office.

The Incident, the monarch?s children said was duly reported to the police and followed with a petition to the Inspector General of Police by their father?s counsel, Anthony Ani (SAN), but the police had not acted on It.

?The petition met no response, and the police made zero arrests with regard to this criminal incidence,? adding that Chief Okolo had been bragging that nothing would happen because he had the full backing of the governor and the commissioner,? they claimed.

When contacted, Chief Okolo denied the allegations levied against him, insisting that he was the real victim claiming that his house, a duplex, was burnt to ashes by the youths working for the Igwe.

He said the monarch was working against the constitution of the community and refused to listen to voice of reason, adding that law would take its cause in the matter. (Sunday Sun: Text, Excluding Headline)

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