The last may not have been heard over the crisis among the three warring factions of Nze na Ozo in Umuchu town, Aguata Local Government area of Anambra State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the Director of State Security (DSS) in Anambra State has summoned the head of Uchenabo kindred (Isi Obi) in Ibughubu village, Umuchu, Ozo Ayorochukwu Mbachu a.k.a Ozo Ezeala Idi over the planned celebration of his Ozorship slated to hold on Saturday, 21st June, 2025.
This medium confirmed that unknown to the DSS, Ichie Ayoro Mbachu had already been initiated into the prestigious Indigenous Nze na Ozo led by Chief Bonaventure Mokwe in a colourful event held at his Palace.
According to the indigenes, the invitation followed a petition allegedly written against Ozo Mbachu and the Indigeneous Nze na Ozo by one of the factions, Supreme Council of Nze na Ozo Umuchu led by Ozo Ijerenze over the celebration of his Ozoship slated to hold on Saturday.
This was confirmed by Ozo Ayoro Mbachu, who stated that he received a call from the official of DSS, who summoned him to report at the their office at Aguata Local Government headquarters in Ekwulobia.
According to him, the DSS told him that there was a petition against him in connection with his initiation and celebration of Ozoship and he is billed to visit the office on Tuesday next week.
He wondered why the DSS would invite him because his Ozoship was his kindred’s affairs and he had been initiated into the Indigenous Nze na Ozo Umuchu before the invitation. But he decided to suspend the celebration until after his visit to the DSS with Nze na Ozo lawyers.
According to the report, trouble started after Ozo Mbachu extended invitation to his guests for the event, which was said not to have gone down well with the Supreme Council of Nze na Ozo because the emergence of Indigenous and traditional factions of Nze na Ozo was affecting their own group.
It was gathered that the Supreme Council of Nze na Ozo delegated their General Secretary, Ozo Ezeani, Eze Martin Emechebe to reach out to Isi Obi Ibughubu, Ozo Bennett Ikebu, who is also their member, to ask him to stop the initiation of Ozo Mbachu because it will affect their Supreme Council of Nze na Ozo within Okpu na Achalla section of Umuchu town.
However, Ozo Ikebu was said to have declined and told Ozo Emechebe that he has no such powers to stop it because the Ozoship was approved by Uchenabo kindred and if he wanted him to stop the Initiation, he should go and ask Uchenabo kindred to come forward and tell him so as Isi Obi Ibughubu village.
The task became more challenging because Uchenabo kindred approved it before Mbachu was initiated into the Indigenous Nze na Ozo and the next thing was DSS invitation on Ozo Ayoro Mbachu, which has attracted serious condemnation in Umuchu town and its environs.
It is not certain that it was the Supreme Council of Nze na Ozo that wrote the petition. But it was certain that Isi Obi Ibughubu, Chief Bennett Ikebu was contacted by their Secretary to stop the Initiation, which Ikebu declined as confirmed by Ozo Ayoro Mbachu.
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Ijerenze and Emechebe should focus on building their own faction of Ozoship. Everyone has right on which one to belong to.
It is really unbelievable that a son of the soil could have the audacity to challenge the traditional right, (not privilege), of the greatgrandson of the famous Odowu Agbata Mbachu Aduo, to his kindred's traditional Ozo society. Being the traditional head and custodian of the culture and tradition of his kindred, he is most supremely qualified to be the traditional head of the kindred's Ozo society. Challenging this inalienable right is not only sacrilegious, but also a crime against God, the gods and the land.