By Okey Maduforo Awka.
There is growing tension in Ihiala Community in Ihiala local government area of Anambra state following the dismissal of the alleged activities of it’s President General Bar Okey Ohagba over the fight against insecurity in the area.
The President General Ohagba had led a protest to the Anambra state government alleging that the Monarch of the Community Sir Thomas Ikenna Obidiegwu (Oluoha) , the Lawmaker representing Ihiala 1 state Constituency Jude Chimezie Ngobiri and the members of Ihiala Progress Union IPU executive have been working hand in gloves with the non state actors from Orsu town in Imo state against the security of the town .
But rising from a meeting of Ihiala Progress Union IPU which had in attendance Igwe Thomas Ikenna Obidiegwu (Olioha) the Lawmaker, the Ogbuehis ( Chiefs )of all the quarters of the town and members of the Town Union Executive ; they described the allegations by the President General ; Ohagba as untrue contending that the general public and the Anambra state government should discountenance those spurious claims.
The meeting further dismissed claims that the town has been meeting with the non state actors in Orsu Imo state contending that the President General has been against all resolutions by the town to complement the fight against insecurity by the state government.
According to the Lawmaker representing Ihiala 1 state Constituency Jude Chimezie Ngobiri;
“We had a meeting in 2023 which was well attended by the Oluoha , members of the Igwe cabinet all the Traditional leadership of the quarters in Ihiala as well as members of the Vilante Security Squad in the Community”
“We resolved to take charge of security in our Community and that we should construct security gates within and around the Community to secure our town and that the Ogbuehi of Ubahu – Ekwem should head the Committee ”
“Before then the President General refused to attend the meeting insisting that no one has the right to call a meeting except him but as a legislator I cannot watch my Community remain insecure so I called for the meeting ”
“We were embarrassed when we saw the President General on television accusing us of meeting with non state actors from Orsu and raising all manner of allegations ”
“Be it known that we had no meeting with the Orsu non state actors and it was not part of our resolution in that meeting and we are disappointed that while Gov Charles Soludo is doing a lot to make Ihiala Community safe our President General is trying to frustrate it by sabotaging the efforts of the Community to complement the efforts of government” he said.
Also speaking the Vice President General of Ihiala Progress Union IPU Mr Collins Agasiere contended that the President General has chosen to operate and run the affairs of the Town Union alone adding that no member of the Town Union Executive works with him as he has removed their name from the Forum of the Executive Committee.
“I tried to call him to order over his high handedness and he apologized but continued and within the first six months of our tenure in office we never knew that he has his personal agenda different from the agenda of developing and bringing progress to Ihiala Town and we want to state here that both the state government and the general public should dismiss those false allegations because they are unfounded” he noted .
The Traditional Ruler of Ihiala Town Igwe Sir Thomas Ikenna Obidiegwu lamented that;
“The President General whom I call my son and have been giving him all the support that he needs turned around to peddle falsehood against me and he has been going about ridiculing my name and the Traditional Stool of Ihiala Town ”
“He said that he is the head of the Town and that I have no right to take decisions or actions but only him and my kind of person is a peaceful man and law abiding and I don’t want crisis in my Community and we have been able to exicise restraint all this while and you know if it were to be some other Communities the story would have been different ” he noted .
