Umuokrika community, Iwu family and grave politics: “They are playing politics with the graves of their folks. And that is rather unfortunate. They want to use the graves to lay a claim to Mbaraezi Tutu. They are the only people who are defacing the entrance to our family compound with graves.“
By Emma Ogbuehi (Reporting from Mbaise)
There is no love lost between His Royal Highness Eze Stanley Pius Iwu, Omeudo, Ugwumba Umuokrika II, of Umuokrika autonomous community in Ahiazu Mbaise local government area, Imo State, and his cousins, children of late Chief B.A. Iwuh, no doubt.
And the bad blood dates back to 1998 when after the death of the traditional ruler, Eze Pius Oguledo Nwoga, a Minister in the Eastern Region in the First Republic, prominent sons of the community, including Dr. Sylvester Ugoh, former Governor of the Central Bank of Biafra and Minister of Education in the Second Republic; late Chief Donatus Onu, Agbachiaka I of Umuokrika and first chairman of Ahiazu Mbaise LGA; Dr. Dom Okoro, then President General of the Umuokrika Town Union for ten years prior to SP Iwu’s emergence as Eze Umuokrika, late Chief I.D. Nwoga, mni, former Minister of Establishments, and second son to Eze P.O. Nwoga; Dr. Sir Clement Nwigwe, KSM; among others, unanimously settled for the young S.P. Iwu, a banker, as his successor.
“It was a unanimous decision. There was no dissent. Every who is who in Umuokrika then agreed that Eze Nwoga’s successor would be SP Iwu or no other,” someone who was privy to that decision told TheNiche last week.
But when the community leaders gathered at the market square, Nkwo Ala Umuokrika, on April 13, 1998, to pick Eze Nwoga’s successor, SP Iwu was conspicuously absent. His uncle, Chief B.A. Iwuh, was mandated to fetch him from wherever he was having decided that the crown was his.
But there was a snag.
SP Iwu, then a Principal Manager with the Union Bank had until April 1, 2001 to retire and he was not going to sacrifice his illustrious banking career on the altar of the royal stool.
So, he accepted the honour on the condition that the coronation will not take place until after his official retirement. Fair deal. The community accepted. And his coronation as Omeudo, Ugwumba Umuokrika II didn’t take place until August 17, 2002, a year and four months after his retirement.
But ironically, just like the Biblical admonition that “there is no Prophet without honour except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own home,” SP Iwu’s selection and eventual coronation was rejected by his cousins, children of the same man, Chief B.A. Iwuh, Onyekuma Onyekuma 1 of Umuokrika, who presented him to the leaders of thought on April 13, 1998.
Accusing him of betraying their father, who apparently nursed the ambition of succeeding Eze Nwoga before the community leaders made their choice, they declared war.
On November 15, 1998, eight months after the community took the momentous decision, seven children of Chief Iwuh – Nicholas Ben Iwuh, Cajetan U. Iwuh, Jude Ben Iwuh, Peter Ben Iwuh, Charles U. Iwuh, Nonye Nzeh (Iwuh) and John Ben Iwuh – in a scathing letter titled, “Ezeship and ultimate betrayal” poured invectives on their cousin.
“Stanley, shooting our father in the foot and betraying him,” they wrote.
“This action actually validated what we have felt about you… a betrayer and back stabber! Obviously, we have finally realized how vicious you can be. You cannot be trusted… You ought to be ashamed of yourself for being a traitor, a back stabber, a dangerous, heartless, vicious and poisonous individual! Congratulations for being Eze and the way you acquired it! Eze Judas.”
The embittered siblings didn’t stop there. “You have profoundly polarized that family with common hatred and we will help you to carry it on more destructively. Believe me, we are not mincing words. You have permanently institutionalized hatred and division among us… You have declared a war against us and we will fight you. We have taken our gloves off for the fight because it is a war,” they further wrote.
“So, whatever joins all of us together, please cut it off because we have cut ours… You should stop celebrating for your momentary victory because it is going to be a very long fight. We will keep fighting no matter how long it takes. One thing you and your collaborators forgot is that we all belong to the same compound and we will live to see how it plays out in the long run.
“We are officially making it clear that as from today: We cease to exist as relatives; We do not want to have anything to do with any of you; Anyone of us who chose to have any relationship with any of you is doing so at his/her own risk. Again, this is from the bottom of our hearts and we do wish for you all to respect our wishes.”
- Last page of the November 15, 1998 letter containing the resolution of the Chief B.A. Iwuh children
That was a declaration of war, literally. Members of the community who knew how SP Iwu resisted his being drafted to become the traditional ruler were taken aback by the turn of events in the extended Iwu family and the venom dripping from the letter.
Having vowed not to recognize SP Iwu as the traditional ruler, they started prefixing their names with “Prince.” It was a deliberate act of provocation. Not only that, they started, unilaterally, to appropriate the family compound, popularly called Mbaraezi Tutu which serves as the family arena for social functions and gathering. Because the land also directly faces “Ovu Tutu” it became an arena where the family convokes for attending to pressing family issues.
But when they made an attempt to fence off the compound, the monarch went to court on September 21, 2023, seeking “a declaration of the Honourable Court that the defendants resort to self-help by forcibly entering the land in dispute and digging a foundation preparatory to erecting a fence/wall thereon without any order of court of competent jurisdiction is reprehensible and amounts to an act of lawlessness.”
- The fresh grave of Mr. Nicholas Iwuh with another grave beside it
The plaintiffs that included Eze SP Iwu’s son, Dr. Nnamdi Iwu, a lawyer, and Nze Leo Agomou Iwu, one of the surviving sons of Tutu, their grandfather, in the case that has Nicholas Iwuh, Mrs. Ellen Iwuh, Onyedi Iwuh, Kelechi Iwuh and Chuchu Iwuh, for themselves and as representing members of Chief B.A. Iwuh family as defendants, also sought “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves, privies, agents, servants, personal representatives or those claiming or deriving title from them from further act(s) of trespass over the land in dispute.”
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Then, while the case was still pending, Nicholas Iwuh, one of the defendants died on December 7, 2023 at the age of 75 years.
Attempt by his siblings to bury him on the disputed land – Mbaraezi Tutu – on Thursday, April 4, 2024, without waiting for a court pronouncement almost led to a breakdown of law and order, necessitating the police to step in.
But rather than seeking an amicable resolution, Chief Iwuh’s children took their case to the media, disparaging the traditional ruler and doubling down on their 1998 threats.
Younger brother to the deceased, Cajetan Iwuh, one of the seven who signed the November 15, 1998 letter vowing not to have anything to do with the monarch blamed him for the crisis.
“Eze S.P. Iwu is claiming that the burial site is part of his land which is not true, the kinsmen have tried the matter and advised him to desist from the claim. The burial site doesn’t belong to him. He is using his position to cause havoc, intimidate and create confusion in the family. The youths are threatening to cause mayhem but we are pleading with them. Members of the community are not happy over the high handedness of the traditional ruler. He doesn’t want to obey justice. He’s a sadist.” he alleged.
But a Palace source who spoke to TheNiche said nothing can be farther from the truth. He accused the children of Chief Iwuh of not getting over the disappointment of their cousin being preferred to their father for the throne.
“That was the decision of the community and it had nothing to do with Eze S.P. Iwu, Omeudo, Ugwumba Umuokrika II. Like they noted in their infamous letter, SP, then a thriving professional banker “never made any form of contribution financially or otherwise” in that enterprise. He neither personally lobbied to be Eze nor delegated anyone to do so on his behalf. In fact, he was cajoled to accept the offer,” one of the palace chiefs, who pleaded anonymity, said.
“They should grow up and move on with their lives. Their father, a great son of Umuokirika, is long dead. But while he lived, he never begrudged his nephew his good fortune. Instead, he was the person who presented SP to the elders of the land on that fateful day of April 13, 1998 at Nkwo Ala. So, what are they talking about?”
Eze S.P. Iwu said he would not speak on the matter because it would be subjudice.
“But that said, let me emphasise that they know what they are doing. They are playing politics with the graves of their folks. And that is rather unfortunate. They want to use the graves to lay a claim to Mbaraezi Tutu. They are the only people who are defacing the entrance to our family compound with graves.
“The question that people are asking is this: How come they are the only ones that have turned Mbaraezi Tutu into a burial ground? All the graves that confront you as you drive into the compound belong to them – an eyesore for first time visitors to the Iwu compound. All other members of the family bury their dead in their own compounds. I have lost my father, mother and wife and they were all buried within and not outside.
“So, why are they not doing same? That is the issue which they are not addressing. Instead they are using the social media to malign me. But, like I said, the case is in court. We will see what happens.”
The question concentrating the minds of peace loving indigenes of the community is this: now that the children of Chief B.A. Iwuh, in spite of the pending court case, have buried their sibling, Nicholas Iwuh, on the disputed land, what happens next? Again, all eyes are on the judiciary.