An air of uncertainty engulfed Enugu State on February 23, 2023. That was barely 48 hours to the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Pandemonium pervaded Enugu East Senatorial District, particularly the Amechi Awkunanaw-Agbani axis, following the brutal murder of Oyibo Chukwu, then senatorial candidate of Labour Party (LP)....CONTINUE READING
He was shot alongside some other occupants of his Toyota Siena bus-car by yet-to-be identified gunmen and their bodies set ablaze. They were returning from a political campaign around Amechi Awkunanaw in Enugu South Local Government…..CONTINUE READING
Chukwu’s charred remains were interred in a solemn ceremony. His younger brother, Kelvin, who stepped into his shoes as the party’s candidate for the rescheduled election on March 18, trounced the major challenger, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to emerge senator-elect.
While the grief lasted, his kinsmen of Amuri in Nkanu West LGA, appealed to his spirit not to rest until it avenged his death. They converged at their ancestral square on Monday, April 3, 2023, and placed curse on the perpetrators. They also invoked the spirit of their ancestors to avenge for them.
Natives of Amuri from the four communities that consist of the Amuri Kingdom, led by the eldest men in the locality and two traditional rulers, Igwe Charles Nwoye and Igwe Fidelis Nsiegbu, gathered at the Obodo Okolo Chukwu ancestral square as early as 9am. They, in one voice, called on gods of the land to go after those behind the barbaric act.
Igwe Nwoye and his colleague, in separate remarks, said as a people, they believe strongly in natural justice and the philosophy of “live and let live,” urging their ancestors to rise and bring justice to their late son.
The traditional rulers also prayed the gods to ensure that anyone involved, directly or indirectly in the unholy act, young or old, was made to face the consequences of their nefarious conduct: “He who kills by sword, must surely die by sword.”
Kelvin thanked the people for the love and solidarity they have continued to show to the family since the ugly incident happened. He stressed that the traditional ritual aimed at seeking natural justice had never failed the community from time immemorial, especially when such calamity took place within the locality (Nkanu land).
He stated that the family was yet to recover from the rude shock of that dastard incident: “What our people are doing here today is important because it is in consonance with the tradition of our community. It’s our way of seeking justice through traditional means.
“His spirit and those of our ancestors will definitely find the perpetrators and make them pay dearly for their wicked and barbaric act.”
A Crown Prince of the community and immediate past Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye, who moderated the ceremony, said: “Amuri is a great kingdom and we are descendants of warriors. And in Amuri, the gods of our ancestors, guide everything we do.
“We are spiritual people. We don’t engage in war without a just course. We don’t spill blood. But due to the last election, the blood of an Amuri son was spilled.
“Today, we have gathered here in our village/community square to invoke the spirit of our ancestors to speak justice to the spirit of our son, Oyibo Chukwu. We have come to ask all the gods of Amuri Kingdom to avenge for us.
“All the elders from the kingdom, both those who can walk and those who can’t walk. Some are above 100 years, have all come out to invoke the spirit of our ancestors, the warrior spirit to come and fight for us. So that all those who joined in the conspiratorial meeting to eliminate Chukwu for political gains and their generations will get the justice they also deserve.”
Immediate younger brother to the deceased politician, Lucky, expressed appreciation to their kinsmen for being there for the family: “It has not been easy for my family to bear. In fact, I don’t pray that my worst enemy in life will undergo such torture and trauma.”
He disclosed that they were yet to notify their 88-year-old mother of the demise of their brother, “because we know the consequences of such information.”
Earlier, a church service was also held for the same purpose. An indigene of the community, Rev. Ikechukwu Aniodo of the Methodist Church Nigeria, had offered prayers to God, asking Him to expose those behind the callous act, as well as comfort the bereaved family.
He charged the senator-elect to uphold the dreams and aspiration of his late brother, whom he described as a good man. He posited that the family and Amuri community should keep trusting, God irrespective of the tragedy that befell them…..CONTINUE READING
