Obosi Killings: Why Osita Chidoka Was Suspended From Council

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Facts have emerged why the traditional ruler of the Obosi town in Anambra State, Igwe Chidubem Iweka II, suspended the former Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka and two others from their fold.

Igwe Iweka on Saturday announced the suspension of Chidoka, Chief Linus Mgbakaogu and Chief Hyacinth Udemba for their alleged involvement in bringing the corpse of two Obosi youths killed during the March 9 re-run election to the palace.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that it was regarded as sacrilege for anybody to bring a corpse to the palace and thus the trio were sacked as members of the palace.
Though some members of the Council of Chiefs disagreed with the monarch’s decision but it was a known tradition that a corpse is not allowed in palace.
Their sack from the council, as was conveyed in a statement by Dr. Bennett Mozie on behalf of the monarch and his Chiefs in Council, said that the act was a sacrilege in the tradition of Obosi Kingdom which forbids the king and his council from seeing human corpse.
He said, “On arriving at the palace, these Chiefs in Council instructed that the corpse be offloaded and dumped in the palace, an insulting and dishonouring act; an abomination of the gravest magnitude.

“After due consultations and deliberations with all relevant ancient traditional bodies of Obosi, the Igwe Iweka II in council, hereby announces the indefinite suspension from his cabinet of the above mentioned three chiefs.
“This suspension is for their acts of sacrilege against the revered age-old customs of the people and Obosi Ancient Kingdom.”

Some title holders and members of the Igwe’s cabinet (Ichie), said that the suspension will not hold as there was never a meeting where the monarch and his cabinet deliberated on the issue of the two slain Obosi youths or made a resolution to suspend the three members.
Chief Anthony Nwabude, the Traditional Prime Minister of Obosi (Onowu Obosi), who was at the palace when the suspension was announced, told journalists that there was no time the content of the statement was discussed or resolved by the council.
Nwabude, an octogenarian and one of the oldest members of the council, said he would not sit back and watch a decision he was not part of foisted on him without talking.
He said, “There was never a meeting where the cabinet met to discuss and come up with the resolution that was read.
“Since the killings, the cabinet has never met to discuss it; so, I am not in support of it.”
Chief Charles Umolu (Akpe Obosi), described the suspension as a “sham”. Umolu said that he was surprised that the monarch could hurriedly suspend Chidoka, Mgbakaogu and Udemba, who actually calmed the irate youths who were grieving over the death of their brothers without condemning the killings.
Umolu said that the statement read to the media was already prepared before the meeting and was signed by someone who was not a member of the council.
“The entire exercise is a sham, how can you suspend people without inviting them to give them fair hearing, many people were not invited, moreover, we are about 31 cabinet members and it is grossly inadequate for seven persons to take such decision for us.
He said, “I was invited but could not make it, but I told them in writing that the suspension of cabinet chiefs should be the least of our worries, considering that Obosi had lost over 76 youths since 2011 due to growing cultism.
“The press statement was prepared before the meeting, the person that signed and read it is an impostor because the Igwe cannot get members to sign it.
“However, the monarch cannot de-robe anybody; he lacks such powers because the traditional chiefs are representatives of their families.”
Reacting, Mgbakaogu one of the affected persons, dismissed the news of his suspension as a kangaroo exercise, saying he remained the (Atta Obosi).
Mgbakaogu said the monarch could not suspend any member of the cabinet without convening a general meeting of the council.
He accused him of delving into partisan politics which had made him to mishandle the affairs of Obosi.

He said, “Two Obosi sons were killed because of election and the youths of the town insisted on taking their corpse to their king in protest of numerous deaths we have witnessed, and the three of us were there to witness what happened”.
“The Igwe has had running battles with Obosi community and presently there is a panel of inquiry looking into these issues, we are still expecting the white paper from Anambra Government. I am not surprised at the purported suspension which cannot stand; I have been in the traditional cabinet for nine years and eight months, long before he became an Igwe, so I remain Atta Obosi” Mgbakaogu concluded.