Ezego’s N500m Mansion Deserted Over Link With Okija Shrine

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

A visit to a village called Uzoakwa in Ihiala town, Anambra State – the home of the late popular billionaire business mogul, Chief Victor Okafor popularly known as ‘King of Money’ (EZEGO), showed how his N500m mansion had been deserted after his demise.

It was still a surprise to many in the community that despite the expensive properties and valuables inside the abandoned mansion, robbers have not burgled the place to steal any of them because of the late Okafor’s rumoured issue with the dreaded Okija Shrine which they claimed caused his death.

According to some of the indigenes, there was a mystery behind the abandoned mansion comprising many houses with expensive valuables kept inside which made robbers not to vandalise or tamper with those items.

There were even no security in place as the members of the immediate family including his wife and children have not returned to the mansion since he died some years ago. Exotic properties inside the mansion such golden chairs and tables, expensive fabrics, rugs, electronics, electrical appliances, abandoned vehicles and others worth millions of naira were said to have remained intact because robbers were avoiding the place.

P.M.EXPRESS tried to find out why it was so despite the fact that robbers would have made a fortune from there going by the reported high rate of crime in the area especially in the immediate community. Some of the residents explained that any robber who broke into the mansion may be in serious danger over the story that the Late Okafor had issue with the dreaded Okija shrine.

It was gathered then that Okafor might have attracted the anger of the deity and died due to his failure to come to the shrine to defend himself over a report by one of his kinsmen who reportedly dragged him to the shrine over business transaction which he alleged that Okafor had cheated him.

It could not be verified whether the shrine killed Okafor or not, despite the fact that some believed it happened. However,  it was gathered that if any person died as a result of any issue or altercation with the deity in Igbo land such like the Okija shrine, automatically all the properties belonged to that shrine unless certain rituals were performed.

The late Okafor also known as ‘Udu Bunch’ died in December 1999 after he had an accident around Okija town, few kilometers to his village when he was returning for Christmas and to celebrate his birthday. His death came with controversies which led to the collapse of his immediate family and business empire.

His wife, Nkechi  reportedly abandoned the family and remarried. The will ‘Ezego’ had prepared was not read because the lawyer who prepared the will one Barrister Barnabas Igwe was brutally murdered with his wife.

Some members of the community who spoke to P.M.EXPRESS expressed their regrets over his death and explained what it used to be when he was alive. One of the residents said that when ‘Udu Bunch’ was around, the whole community was lively because he was assisting individuals and the community as whole without any discrimination.

However, it was gathered that despite his contribution that the community had refused to honour him. And their reason was said to be that he was not really a ‘free born’ of the community and does not deserve to be bestowed any honour meant for ‘free borns’ in Ihiala community.