Igbo Corner
Okoye: Umuoji Patriots denounce Jukok boss for ‘disgraceful’ attempt to ‘steal’ Igwe, abuse of Naira
A group, under the auspices of Umuoji Patriots, has denounced what they described as a ‘disgraceful’ outing by the self-acclaimed “Igwe Umuoji”, Chief Kanayo Okoye who was caught on tape parading himself as “Igwe” of Umuoji, a community in Anambra State.
Umuoji Patriots made the remarks in a statement made available to News Band on Tuesday.
In an undated video poorly taken by an amateur, Chief Okoye was seen taking accolades reserved for traditional rulers from onlookers and spraying Naira noted to a group of women dancers.
The video was captioned: “Royal Majesty Anayo Okoye (Omekannia) Ohazulunye (Millennium King Umuoji Igwulube Okodu) appreciates prestigious Egwu Obi Musical Group Umuoli Village Umuoji Igwulube Okodu“.
Watch below the video of the self-acclaimed “Igwe Umuoji” spraying Naira notes to women dancers:
Desist from usurping power, Umuoji Patriots warn Okoye
Recall that in an earlier publication made on August 13, 2024, News Band reported that Umuoji Patriots warned Okoye, the Managing Director/CEO of Jukok Engineering Company, to desist from usurping power through the back door in the ongoing leadership tussle.
The group asked the self-acclaimed “Igwe Umuoji” to allow the law of the land to reign supreme and desist from imposing himself against the will of the people.
The Patriots noted that Okoye has been fighting the people of the community and the constitution, even initiating a suit against the community, while trying to impose himself as the Igwe.
In the article entitled “Umuoji Igweship tussle: Stop parading yourself as Igwe! Umuoji Patriots warn Kanayo Okoye“, they asked him to retrace his steps and desist from pushing the peaceful community above the cliff.
Reacting to the video, a concerned indigene of Umuoji said of the self-acclaimed traditional ruler:
“Delusional and desperate Chief Anayo Okoye who wants to be Igwe of Umuoji by fraud after scoring 72 votes against the winners 913 votes in a contest. What a disgrace?”
How it all began
Way back in 2021, the contest to elect the Igwe held on Saturday, May 8 but was declared inconclusive by the Chief Returning Officer, Mr. Chukwuemeka Joe Nsika (Nnanyelugo Siwo).
The election sought to install a new traditional ruler following the death of the late Igwe, HRH Cyril Enweze.
Three candidates contested the election for a new Igwe, viz: Chief Anaeto Simeon Muogbo, Chief Kanayo Okoye, and Chief Obiora Stephen Onwuachu.
According to information gathered by our correspondent, Kanayo Okoye won the election by a simple majority with 473 votes, over and above Chief Simeon Muogbo, who scored 459 votes.
Chief Stephen Onwuachu emerged second runner-up with 359 votes.
However, according to the constitution of the community, an Igwe will only emerge based on two-third majority.
The chieftaincy constitution of Umuoji, Section 2.3 on method of selection, paragraph F stipulated that “where only two candidates qualify for election, the one securing a simple majority by secret ballot shall be declared elected. Where more than two candidates qualify, the candidate who scores two-thirds of the votes cast of the first ballot shall be declared elected… when no candidate scores up to two-thirds of the first ballot, a run-off election shall be arranged for the two candidates scoring the highest votes.”
Chief Returning Officer declares election inconclusive
Based on the outcome of the Umuoji community election, the Chief Returning Officer, Mr. Chukwuemeka Joe Nsika Nnanyelugo Siwo), declared the election inconclusive.
A chieftain of Umuoji and one of the conductors of the election, Mr. Nsika said regarding the poll:
“For the avoidance of doubt, the election for an Igwe did not produce one.
“Rather, it produced two contestants for a run-off election in accordance with our chieftaincy constitution.
“We prepared for a run-off election for Sunday, May 9, but it will not hold.
“We were told that election for two days is unacceptable by the state government. Hence, payment was made for only one day.
“The runoff must be held on a date to be agreed by the state government and payment made by the PG.
“I made it abundantly clear that the election did not produce an Igwe but a first and second contestants for the runoff which lies with both the PG and Awka to resolve.
“I am happy to have conducted an election that is free, fair and credible.”
He noted that “the run-off election must be held as soon as possible, may be within one month” to conclusively elect the new Igwe.
The Kanayo Okoye saga
However, it soon became apparent that the declaration did not go down well with Chief Okoye and his supporters.
Rather than comply with the outcome of the election, Okoye declared himself winner, went home with his supporters merrying and shouting “there will be no run-off election!”
Eventually, a runoff election was conducted under the direct supervision of the Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Following the election, Chief Muogbo defeated Chief Okoye with about 700 votes difference and was declared Igwe.
Apparently disgruntled by the outcome of events, Okoye lashed out against the President General of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria (UIUN), Chief Silas Onyima (Ogidi).
He asked Chief Onyima to be installed as the new Igwe contrary to the town’s Constitution after an inconclusive election in which he declared himself the winner.
Okoye will later initiate a suit against the community in his unbridled effort to impose himself as the Igwe.
On one occasion, an indigene of Umuoji told News Band that Okoye was heard bragging to anyone who cared to listen that he will prolong the suit as long as he could and remain the Igwe while the conundrum lasts.
Okoye loses run-off election
The run-off election was eventually conducted on June 8, 2021, and Muogbo defeated Okoye with 913 votes to 72.
See the run-off election result below:
Result of the Umuoji run-off election
Reacting to the election, the Umuoji President-General upheld the result as transparent and self-evident.
Unfortunately, some unidentified gunmen, on February 23, 2024, assassinated Onyimah for some reasons yet to be fathomed.
It is in the light of these developments that Umuoji Patriots called on Anayo Okoye to desist from his anti-people antics that could fling the community over the cliff.
Read the full story of the Umuoji election, as well as the run-off election, below:
Umuoji Igweship tussle: Stop parading yourself as Igwe! Umuoji Patriots warn Kanayo Okoye
The law against Naira abuse
Besides the “shameful” action of Okoye in trying to usurp power indiscriminately, some concerned indigenes of Umuoji have also denounced the act of abusing the Naira.
One such indigene, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid being victimised, lamented that instead of being a pace setter, Okoye has proved to be a law breaker.
“The Nigerian law against abuse of the Naira is clear: no spraying, no stamping, no defacing, no selling, etc. of the Naira.
“How can someone who wants to be a custodian of the law turn around and break the same law he wants to protect,” he lamented.
What does the law say?
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) warned that those abusing the naira notes were liable to go to jail.
CBN also warned that the law banning the “spraying’’ and the stepping on the naira notes, especially at social gatherings was still in force and offenders were liable to six months imprisonment or a fine of N50,000, or both.
Sections 20 & 21 of CBN Act warned against the abuse of the Naira.
The objective of the Act includes “to stem the abuse that the Naira is constantly subjected to, increase the active life of Naira notes and coins and promote confidence in their usage as medium of exchange, refusal to accept the Naira, trading in Naira notes and coins, spraying of the Naira and all such abuses have been criminalized and appropriate sanctions imposed.”
Recently, two Nigerian socialites, Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, and Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, were dragged to court for abusing the Naira.
Bobrisky even served a six-month jail term for the abuse of the Naira.
It is left to be seen if the anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will cast their dragnet in the direction of Kanayo Okoye.
If arrested, Okoye will fall in line with the likes of Bobrisky and Cubana Chief Priest as an abuser of the Nigerian national currency.
Continue Reading
There’s something about persecution that does two things to a people: it either breaks them, or it makes them beasts of survival.
For centuries the Jews… they were hunted, hated, and humiliated by empires. But they didn’t vanish.
They evolved. They adapted. And today, the Jews are arguably the most powerful tribe in the world economically, intellectually, and politically. Ruthless when necessary.
They are unapologetic about their survival. Now, look at the Igbo. A tribe known for industry, resilience, and brilliance.
A people who just want to live, do business, and thrive. But Nigeria doesn’t want that. Nigeria wants control.
Nigeria wants submission. And the one thing the Igbo have never known how to do is bow. And that’s the real issue.
So what does Nigeria do? It sidelines them. Isolates them. Provokes them. Bombs their villages under the guise of security.
Locks up their agitators. Shuts down their businesses. Mocks their pain. Ignores their history. Prevent them from voting. Play politics with their education. Sponsored bigotry on them.
And then Nigeria pretends to be surprised that there’s growing radicalization in the East?
Let me be clear: The Igbo didn’t start this fire. Nigeria did.
And history, the very same history we keep refusing to learn from, has shown us that when you keep pushing a tribe that knows how to survive, they evolve into something stronger, something unstoppable.
It’s happened before. With the Jews. Europe tried to exterminate them. Instead, they became the backbone of global finance, media, tech, and diplomacy.
You don’t touch a Jew today without consequences. You don’t push them to the wall and expect them to stay quiet.
Now Nigeria is doing the same to the Igbo, pushing, prodding, provoking.
But here’s the warning: when you push an animal to the wall, it doesn’t stay calm. It fights back. It bites. And this time, when it bites, don’t act shocked.
But this isn’t just about the Igbo solely. Nigeria has perfected the art of creating monsters, then acting surprised when they bite.
The Niger Delta? Radicalized. The region was exploited for oil, polluted beyond repair, and ignored until their youths picked up arms.
The Fulani terrorists? Radicalized. Left behind by the same government that claimed to represent them, now manipulated by religion and resentment.
The Almajiri? Radicalized. Abandoned by an elite that used their poverty as a vote bank and then left them to rot.
The Agbero? Radicalized. Uneducated, weaponized, and unleashed as tools of political chaos.
Even the middle class is slowly being radicalized, not with guns, but with hopelessness. That, too, is a ticking time bomb.
A nation cannot continue to marginalize its most brilliant tribe and expect peace.
The Igbo are not docile. They are not quiet. They are not forgetful. They are survivors, and survivors don’t beg for space forever. At some point, they take it.
The Igbo didn’t set out to be radicals. They were made into one by a country that won’t stop seeing their confidence as a threat.
You can’t keep pretending unity means silence. You can’t keep preaching peace while planting injustice.
The Igbo are not asking for too much, they just want to live, build, and grow.
But if you insist on turning their dignity into defiance, their enterprise into enmity, and their survival into sedition, then you are creating a monster.
And if history has taught us anything, it’s this: when a persecuted people decide that survival is no longer enough, when they decide to stop running and start resisting, they don’t just fight back. They win.
Nigeria must understand this: you cannot keep pushing people into a corner and expect submission.
When you back a lion into a wall, don’t expect it to purr. It will roar. It will claw. It will tear through anything standing between it and freedom.
So here’s the final warning, for those who still care to listen: Nigeria is radicalizing the Igbo.
But worse, Nigeria is radicalizing everyone. And it won’t end well.
When the fire spreads, when the rebellion multiplies, when the beast we created begins to fight back, don’t act shocked; no tribe will be left untouched.
Don’t pretend it wasn’t preventable. We all made it happen. You don’t corner a lion and expect peace.
Abolaji Rasaq is a public affairs analyst.
Palpable crisis is brewing in Nnewi over the election of the President General of Uruagu Community in the industrial town of Anambra State, with a business mogul and owner of Organiser Plc., Chief Innocent Okoli, accused of upsetting the apple cart.
The crisis has led to protests and resignation of members of the Board of Trustees (BoT).
One of the resignation letters sighted by News Band was from a legal practitioner, J. N. Obi, Esq.
Barrister Obi, until his resignation served as the Secretary of the Executive Committee and member, Uruagu Board of Trustees.
Tendering his resignation letter, Obi cited brazen violation of the Constitution of Uruagu Nnewi Community Development Union.
The letter was referenced OB/03 /296/2025, dated May 8, 2025, and addressed to His Highness. Obi A. C. Obi (Ogidi IV).
In the letter entitled “Letter of resignation as member, Board of Trustees (B.O. T) Uruagu Nnewi. Obi announced his resignation based on the following reasons:
- Article 8. 9 (a) of the Constitution of Uruagu Nnewi Community Development Union. 2022 (As Amended) states and I quote:
“The Board shall “Ensure the observance of this Constitution”. - Article 14.4 of the Constitution of Uruagu Nnewi Community Development Union 2022 (As Amended) states and I quote:
“Each ward shall submit a list of the Electors In writing to the Secretary General of the Union, one month before any election.
“The submission of the list of the Electors shall be done by the Ward Chairman In consultation with the Ward’s Obi.” - “The election sought to be conducted on Saturday, 10th day of May 2025, did not comply with the above provisious as it was on the Union’s general meeting of the I3th day of April 2025 that the expiration of the tenure of the Executives was announced.”
The legal pratictioner, however, noted that the election to be held on May 10 will not be up to one month.
He, therefore, resigned his membership of B. 0. T for failure to abide by the above provisions of the Constitution as stated above.
On his part, the former President General of Uruagu Nnewi, Chief Ambassador Charles Nwonye, decried series of illegalities in the proposed election championed by Chief Okoli.
He recalled the efforts of past and present stakeholders to ensure that Uruagu Nnewi Community Development Union is recognised as a legal and responsible entity in the state.
He, however, speaking in a voice note obtained by Diaspora Digital Media (DDM), regretted:
“It’s very, very unfortunate that those counsels that instituted Uruagu Development Union are no longer alive.
“They were the ones who were known for speaking out the truth. But at the same time, we will not all keep quiet.
“I, hereby, wish to bring the following to the attention of all Uruagu indigenes, scattered all over Nigeria and in the diaspora that four years ago, a similar thing happened.
“Uruagu Nnewi Constitution was also flagrantly violated four years ago.
“At the end, a lot of stakeholders asked the former Executive Committee to resign and leave en masse.
“The Constitution, however, allowed them to recontest.
“The Executive Committee then honourably resigned and no one of us recontested, ushering in a new Executive Committee.
“They argued that following the election, the Constitution will be amended to correct all the flaws and ensure no such flagrant abused repeats itself.
“They went for the election and what happened there was the same illegality we’re talking about.
“Some of our youths went and connived with mischief makers, disrupted the election and declared the present Executive Committee members winners.
“The youths stood by them in their misguided thoughts that the Executive Committee members enjoy special gains in the office.
“They disrupted the election and ensured that the present crop of Executive Committee members was ushered in.
“The election was heavily flawed and rigged in favour of Eloka Ike and Innocent Okoli, but we let go and left peacefully.
“The new Executive Committee promised to preside for only four years and leave, but we are currently seeing the same illegalities.
“I dare ask: Should Uruagu be known only for illegalities? I thought Ndi Uruagu are smart people?
“I have observed that there are certain individuals who are hell-bent on ensuring that the Uruagu leadership fails.
“They seem bent on destroying all our efforts, acting as agents of chaos and destruction.
“How can one man gather a bunch of Umuezeagu indigenes and take them to the court, claiming that they sued the union to court?
“They deceived the High Court and got a frivolous injunction against Uruagu people, all in the name of election!
“When I got this information, I knew that something was wrong.
“How can someone, after serving a tenure fraught with irregularities, fight his way to a second tenure against the people’s wish?
“I want to make it clear to all the delegates in the so-called election that it will not be possible to make an illegality legal.
“Anyone who casts a vote in that sham election is an agent provocateur, as well as a villain.
“Let it be on record that I denounced the so-called election founded on illegality and fraud and all participants, be it a delegate or participant in any manner is an enemy of the people.”
Chief Okoli and other responsible people of Nnewi leadership could not be reached for comment at the moment of this publication.
More details will follow…
The remains of HRH Eze Stephen Nwabueze Ugorji, Orji Ukwu 1 of Lorji Nwekeukwu Autonomous Community in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area, will be laid to rest on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
The late Eze Ugorji will be buried in his palace at Orji Ukwu Estate, Lorji, following a Catholic funeral Mass at St. Andrews Catholic Church, Lorji.
News Band was informed that His Excellency the Catholic Bishop of Ahiara Diocese, Bishop Okezuo Nwobi, has been invited to officiate at the ceremony.
Bishop Nwobi, it was learnt, has also accepted the family’s invitation to officiate at the funeral rites of the late grand traditional ruler.
This information was provided to members of the press in Owerri by the Opara Eze (First Son of the Eze), former Commissioner for Homeland Security and Vigilante Affairs, Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji.
His Lordship Bishop Okezuo Nwobi, the Catholic Bishop of Ahiara Diocese (Mbaise) and Eze Nwabueze Ugorji’s First Son, Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji
“The family is grateful to His Lordship for granting us a rare request to officiate at a funeral on a Thursday,” Dr. Ugorji said.
“Our father will feel honored and appreciated because he was not just a devoted Catholic, he shouldered the building of the St. Andrews Catholic Church at Lorji until his death,” the former commissioner added.
Igbo Corner
EXCLUSIVE: Ngozi Orabueze dissolves Biafra Govt In Exile as Simon Ekpa may spend longer time in prison
Dr. Ngozi Orabueze has abruptly dissolved the Biafra Government In Exile following secret information that his former boss, Simon Ekpa may not be coming out from Finnish detention in a hurry.
News Band reported that Mrs. Orabueze, a former Chief of Staff to Mr Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Government In Exile, toppled his principal after he was thrown into prison for promoting violent agitation and terrorism in the Southeast of Nigeria.
Ekpa’s trial is scheduled to start in May 2025.
Ngozi, a former chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Atlanta, United States in a statement on Wednesday, announced the dissolution of Biafra Government In Exile.
She said all assets of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile and it’s affiliates shall be transferred to the secretary of the State of the United States of Biafra.
Orabueze also directed all officers of the former exile government to report to their counterpart with the United States of Biafra for reassignment.
The statement reads, “It is resolved that the Biafra Republic Government In Exile (BRGIE) is hereby dissolved as it’s reason for the existence has been superceded by the November 29, 2024 Declaration of the restoration of the Independent United States of Biafra
“All assets of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile and it’s affiliates(BRGIE corporation ID: D237527271) shall be transferred to the secretary of the State of the United States of Biafra.
“All officers of the former exile government shall report to their counterpart with the United States of Biafra for reassignment. All activities of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile shall cease as of February 15, 2025”.
Meanwhile, an insider source in the movement reliably told News Band that Ngozi decided to dissolve BRGIE after receiving intel that Simon Ekpa might spend longer time in prison.
The source also revealed that the Nigerian government is doing everything within it’s power to nail Simon Ekpa for all his atrocious acts in the SouthEast region.
So, the only way to keep the agitation going in the absence of Ekpa is to dissolve BRGIE.
“Yes, Ngozi Orabueze dissolved the Biafra Republic Government In Exile so as to be fully in charge of the assets belonging to the movement. With the way the Nigerian government is going about the case of Simon Ekpa, he may spend longer time in prison”, the source said.
Moreover, before now, Orabueze has been at war with some arrowheads of the separatist movement who refused to acknowledge her authority.
This however, has led to series of fights, accusation and counter accusations among the agitators.
We celebrate the life of Mrs. Roseline Udu Eze, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and pillar of strength.
Her unwavering love, kindness, and selflessness left an indelible mark on all who knew her.
Though we mourn her passing, we take solace in the legacy she leaves behind and the cherished memories we hold. Rest peacefully in the arms of the Lord, dear Roseline.
You will forever be missed.
May her soul rest in perfect peace.
Amen.
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