By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

A 106-year-old man, Ichie Nwekeuche Okoye, has vowed to reconcile feuding youths in his Nkwelle Awka community in the Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

He called on Anambra youths to quit feuding over land, describing it as a type of god.

Okoye who is the oldest man in the community expressed worry at the manner the new generation bicker over mundane things saying that he will return peace in the community as a show of appreciation in his life time.

The centurion made the statement when the youths of Nkwelle protesting terrorism and high handedness in the area by some persons stormed his home over the weekend.

They accused one Akolam Ogbonna, a lawyer, of terrorising the community.

According to the spokesperson for the youths, Chukwunenye Ejike, the youths accused the lawyer of land grabbing, and sale of the community’s land.

He called for an emergency meeting to be held to resolve the matter before things get off hand.

Ejike wondered why the elders keep quiet and watch one person overrun the entire community.

He said: “The youth of the community are here to express our anger over the recent happening in the community. We can’t continue to keep quiet, like some elders who have been compromised.

“We demand that an emergency meeting be convened immediately to resolve this matter before things will go haywire.

“How can the elders keep quiet and watch one single person overrun the entire community? Everyone is afraid over his daily threat.

“All our lands have been sold, we don’t even have a single plot to ourselves. We need peace and tranquility in this land.

“If you know how you’ll call Akolam to order, do that immediately. Enough is enough. We’re handing over our lives to you, should any youth be shot in this community, we’ll carry the corpse to the oldest person’s place.”

In his reaction, Ogbonna denied the allegations levelled against him, saying: “I am the legal adviser of Nkwelle community, as well as legal adviser of Umudiaba village where my accuser is the chairman of security. After he became chairman, we noticed that security apparatus in the village was very porous. As a young man, we believe that power got into his head and he started abusing his office.

“He had been involved in land matters and the youths had to pass a vote of no confidence in him.”

Ogbonna insisted that he was not selling anybody’s land as alleged, rather he stopped them from feeding fat from the community’s common wealth as the legal adviser.