By Sunday Agbo, Abakaliki
Nsturakpa community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State is now boiling following announcement by the state-owned radio station, Ebonyi Broadcasting Service (EBBC) of the recognition of Joseph Okafor as Eze in Ntsurakpa.
The announcement also ordered him to appear at the executive council chambers within the week among other recognized chiefs for the collection of staff of office.
However, barely four hours after the said announcement, over two thousand protesters from Nsturakpa community besieged the gate of Ebonyi State government house protesting the said announcement with a request to the state Governor David Umahi to withdraw the recognition of Joseph Okafor.
The protesters, who displayed placards with various inscriptions, also obstructed traffic for more than one hour as entrance and exit of government officials into government house was interrupted.
Some of the placards read, “Nsturakpa has no Eze for now, there will be no peace in Nsturakpa if Joseph rules us, Joseph Okafor is a rogue and oppressor. Others are A killer cannot be our Eze, Joseph Okafor is a tout, a tout cannot rule us, save Nsturakpa now, Joseph Okafor is a lover of violence and war, we say no to that, a convicted armed robber cannot rule us, Ozogbu is killing our people, among others. Speaking on behalf of the protesters made of up men, women and youth, Ntsurakapa Youth President, Ndubuisi Ogba described the announcement of the recognition of Joseph Okafor as unacceptable, accusing him of being a murderer, atrocious and has been indulging in numerous illicit acts.
“We have ezeship tussle in our community. For the past six years, we have been in court settling what is happening. He said he wants to be eze, we said no because the majority did not choose him. So, two weeks after Professor Ozo died, we heard over the radio that Ebonyi State government wants to give staff of office to Chief Ozogbu Okafor
“We are here to tell Ebonyi State government that we do not want Ozogbu Okafor to be our Eze. He is not qualified and he has stayed in the park for more than 40 years. He sponsors cultists; he has killed a lot of people, committed a lot of atrocities and collected land illegally from our people.
“He has destroyed our community. I am saying this for you to go and investigate. We cannot say alive to allow Chief Ozogbu Okafor to be our eze. We want to tell Ebonyi State government that the announcement is very wrong”, he stated.
In a swift reaction to the protest, a community leader who spoke with Orient Daily, Anaga Sunday told our correspondent that the protest was organized by persons from the community who are opposed to peace.
He described the protest as a senseless and visionless one even as he accused some stakeholders from the community of fanning the embers of crisis. He said the matter had been ruled in court in favor of Okafor Joseph.