Children drags Gov Mbah to court over detention of 86-year-old blind Father

The children of Igwe Ekwueme Odenigbo, the traditional ruler of Akpakume in Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State, have called on Governor Peter Mbah to secure the release of their 86-year-old blind father and their brother, Solomon, who are currently in detention.

The monarch and his son have been held at the Enugu Correctional Service Centre since January 9, 2025, following a petition by Mr. Livinus Okolo, a prominent community member.

Igwe Odenigbo, 86 and one of his sons, Solomon Ekwueme, were detained in Enugu Correctional Service Centre, Enugu since January 9, 2025 following a petition written against them by a prominent citizen of the community, Mr. Livinus Okolo, aka Zion.

They said: “It is truly heartbreaking for us to be called back to Enugu with the news that our aged and blind father, a retired elder in the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the King of an entire community has been locked up by the Nigerian Police and charged to a Magistrate court and subsequently sent to the Prison at the behest of a man that has been nothing short of a terror to the entire people of Akpakwume community, Mr Livinus Okolom, Alias Zion”.

Odenigbo’s children posited that trouble began on December 23, 2024 when Mr. Livinus Okolo, allegedly invaded their father’s palace with about 20 boys, armed with guns, axe and matchets and beat their parents mercilessly and took away his staff of office and other valuables claiming that Igwe Odenigbo had been dethroned and he, Okolo is now the acting Igwe because Igwe was involved in illegal mining and government decided to unseat him.

They pointed out that following Okolo’s attack on their father, irate youths in the community went and destroyed some part of Okolo’s house.

According to them, Igwe Odenigbo had on December 24, petitioned the police over the attack on his palace but no arrest was made because Okolo was said to be highly connected and has the backing of Gov. Mbah and the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Okey Ogbodo.

They went further to explain that when the youths destroyed Okolo’s house over his alleged attack on their Igwe, Okolo petitioned the police and got the traditional prime minister elect, Onowu-elect, Chief Marius Ezeanyanwu, arrested claiming that it was he that instigated the destruction of his house.

As a result of the arrest of Chief Ezeanyanwu, the youths were said to have been angered the more and went and burnt down his house completely, the Igwe’s children pointed out.

Based on the arson on Okolo’s house, he was said to have petitioned the police who on January 9, 2025 who invited their brother, Solomon and their father for questioning but detained them afterwards.

Having detained them, on January 13, 2025, a magistrate court at Enugu North tried them and sent them to prison custody and ever since, they have been languishing in the Correctional Service Centre, Enugu.

Therefore, touched by the plight of their aged father, Igwe Odenigbo and brother Solomon, they begged the governor to intervene forthwith.

“We the children of HRH, Igwe Ekwueme Odenigbo, Pastor Solomon Ekwueme and Ozioma Roseline Ekwueme sit here today to appeal to the Executive Governor of Enugu State His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah, the Senator representing Enugu West, Distinguished Senator Osita Ngwu, The Executive Chairman of Udi Local Government Area, Engr 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 center Enugu formally known as Prison.

“We are pleading with Governor Peter Mbah to come to our aid and nip this issue in the bud before it becomes worse than it currently is. Our father is a sick, 86-year-old blind man with no capacity to inflict hurt on anyone. He has faced all kinds of tribulations in the hands of this same Mr. Livinus Okolo and his cohorts. Our brother is in no way a person of violence and would not engage in the activities he has been accused of.”

When contacted, Livinus Okolo, denied all allegations against him, saying that the police and the state government had been investigating the matter leading to the arrest of some persons, including the monarch, who he said urged the youths to set his house and other prominent leaders of the town ablaze.

Okolo, who had been appointed by the state government to supervise the affairs of the community, disclosed that no fewer than 14 houses were either destroyed or set ablaze by the youths working for the monarch, adding that over N30 billion had been lost by the community to the crisis.

He disclosed that part of the crisis in the community was the discovery of some mineral resources, and the alleged sale of the community land to prospective miners by the monarch without due process.

Reacting to the matter, the Commissioner, Deacon Ogbodo, told newsmen that the monarch was undermining the state government and has been suspended.

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

Ogbodo however, disclosed that some of the items the Monarch’s children accused Chief Okolo of taking away after attacking the palace on December 23, like the certificate of Oath and staff of office were in the custody of his office.