By Okeke Uche
The family of late Ichie Dennis Nwankwo of Umunnebo village in Ufuma community, Orumba North Local Government Area, has sent a Save Our Soul message to governor Charles Soludo over alleged plots by certain elders to label their male children as kidnappers so as to detain them and illegally disposses them of their land and economic trees.
The second son of the family, Prince Chijioke Ugochukwu Nwankwo, who made the call at a press briefing at Ufuma, claimed that some elders of the kindred had been using government institutions and other ways to intimidate them into abandoning their inheritance since death of their parents.
"Trouble started after the death of my father, Mr Dennis in 2002. Some members of our clan took over our father's property, sold some pieces of land, felled our economic trees, lied against our mother (now late)... This continued till my mother became sick in 2017 and finally died in 2019. Sometimes they would invite the police to arrest us alleging that we did or that.
"When the police come and we tell them that the actual issue is our land and other property. They would back out. My elder brother, Ikeokwu Nwankwo, who lives overseas used because of these issue travelled back home and reported to our kindred meeting to come and settle the land case once and for all so that everyone will take possession of their property and do whatever they want with them.
"But they refused to come for the settlement. I have also made several attempts to get them settle these too. But they refused. They have denied us access to most of our late parents property. We don't know what to do. We want the government to come to our aid. Last week, some of our elders, Mr Ozoemenam Onyebuchi and Mr Emeka Onyebuchi petitioned the police that I, Ugochukwu Nwankwo, my elder brother (Ikeokwu) and our younger brother, Ikedi hit him with machete and attempted to kidnap him.
" That was when my two brothers had left to their base after waiting for them to settle the land issues. I am the only one resident in the community. The petition had as witness, Mr Geoffrey Nwankwo and Mr Anene Nwankwo. So, the police came around 4am. and wanted to arrest me. But around 6am, I opened gate to let them in. I requested for their formal invite which they did. I reported to the Police Criminal Investigative Department at Amawbia and told the police what actually happened in my statement.
"The police granted me bail. That is why I am appealing to government and all the constituted authorities to intensify investigation into this and rescue us by insisting that our property be giving back to us, those we owe collectively should equally be shared and boundaries well carve out for all. We are not kidnappers," he alleged.
Also collaborating this, some elderly daughters of the family, Mrs Emordi Chizoba (nee Nwankwo), and Mrs Egeonu Uchechukwu, explained that their brothers were not kidnappers but being intimidated because they were demanding for what rightly belong to the family.
On his part, the Chairman, Umunnebo village, Ufuma, Mr Peter Idembara, said he had never heard about kidnapping activities in any part of the village before, wondering why someone would petition the police without first informing them.
"I am surprised hearing that Ozoemenam was beaten or planned to be kidnapped. We don't have kidnappers in our village. And no one has ever complained to us about kidnapping here. All I know about Nwankwo family is issue of how to share their family lands and economic trees. I can only advice them to report the issue to the village and kindred appropriately so they could come and share their property appropriately to all concerned," he noted.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the investigation was on and promised to get back after.