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The Acting President-General of Nteje Development Union in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State (NDU) Elder Augustine Modika says he would have been a dead person if he was at home on 20th June this year when daredevil gunmen invaded his house at Achalla-Uno Nteje around 12 midnight.
Elder Augustine Modika who spoke to this journalist in his compound along side his elder brother George Nnamdi Modika Mokwugwo, said an attempt was made on his life by those who do not want peace to reign in Nteje community.
He said three persons were kidnapped on the same night gunmen jumped over the fence of his compound, broke into his house, stole his money and other valuable items worth millions of naira.
According to him, two persons were kidnapped at Ezi-Nteje and one other person at Ifite-Nteje after which the criminals invaded his house the same night to kill him too but God spared his life and that of his elder brother because they weren’t at home on that fateful night.
The acting PG said he was away on an evangelical mission outside the state, when he received a phone call that masked armed men invaded his compound. As a result, he rushed back to behold the sorry sight of his house where the criminals had a feast. All because he insisted that it is the turn of Ifite-Nteje to produce the next traditional ruler of the community.
He said most worrisome is the way and manner in which Nteje Police Division is handling the invasion of his compound by armed hoodlums as he clearly pointed out that the DPO’s apparent reluctance and docility is not helping further investigations instead they told him to take the case to Ogidi Police Division, suspecting that money has exchange hands.
Modika who is from Iruojene Achalla-Uno village in Ikenga-Nteje, told this journalist that contrary to false publications on the online news blogs, no one is parading himself yet as the traditional ruler of Nteje community even though some people are hell-bent on throwing the entire community into chaos and confusion.
According to him, Nteje has three quarters viz, Ezi-Nteje, Ikenga-Nteje and Ifite-Nteje respectively. He stated that Ezi-Nteje has occupied the traditional stool with Nnaemeka (Abogu 1 of Nteje) while Ikenga-Nteje had their turn with Roland Odegbo and now it is the turn of Ifite-Nteje to ascend the throne of their forefathers.
But the bone of contention, according to him, is that some disgruntled elements from Ikenga-Nteje as he aptly described them are insisting that the Kingship of the community should return back to Ikenga even when the last monarch of the community came from there.
Modika maintained that although he is from Ikenga-Nteje but he would not be part of any plots to destabilize the community because it is rightfully the turn of Ifite-Nteje to ascend the throne in accordance with their Igweship rotational principles.
He therefore pointed accusing fingers at the suspended NDU President-General whom he said allegedly connived with someone to obtain an affidavit from the court purporting that they have selected another Igwe from Ikenga quarters, stressing that a certain Charlie Aduaka from Ikenga-Nteje whom they claimed to have been selected for the Igweship of Nteje community through a court affidavit was never in the picture from the onset because he didn’t purchase the Igweship form.
According to him, a former Ag.President-General of the community Chief Udeji Chieze was kidnapped in his house at Umuefi Nteje, tied and blindfolded by his adductors and dumped at Alor after N2.5 million naira was collected as ransom, all because he refused to be part of evil plots to destroy the community.
Modika however disclosed that Ifite-Nteje has done their selection and Chief Chris Nnebo has been selected to be the next Igwe of Nteje and currently in waiting for the state government to issue him certificate of recognition as the new traditional ruler of Nteje even as he stated that the suspended PG is not in agreement with it because he wants Ikenga-Nteje to still retain the traditional stool after 9 years of the last Igwe’s demise and exit from the throne.
He said it’s been three years they took over as the elected executives of Nteje Development Union (NDU) and the suspended PG has not rendered any accounts whatsoever.
Modika alleged that the suspended PG collects IGR, sells stuck-up stalls at Eke-igwe Nteje, indulge in land-racketeering activities, recruited touts with arms as law enforcement agents as well as all manner of financial misappropriations, emphasizing that the worst the suspended PG did was to sack women who swept and always kept Eke-igwe Nteje clean which the acting PG said the embattled PG’s mother did in her own time.
The NDU acting President-General further disclosed that the suspended PG has not done a single tangible project with all the money he collects from left, right and centre not even a palliative work on the erosion devastations at Eke-igwe market Nteje.
He said that the only thing the suspended PG has done in the last three years was to install makeshift speed bumps on a particular road without due consultations with members of the NDU executives and how much was expended on the project, adding that the suspended PG takes unilateral decisions.
He said that the suspended PG has not also disclosed how much was realized during the 2024 Nteje Day Celebration and no account has been rendered till date coupled with illegal sale of family lands as well as the youths he allegedly recruited to unleash terror and mayhem on anyone who dared to probe his nefarious activities and atrocities in Nteje community.
On his part, George Nnamdi Modika Mokwugwo, who is the elder brother to Elder Augustine Modika, maintained that some people are killing the town by their actions and they don’t want Nteje to be peaceful.
He said they know those causing problems in the community but insisted that there must be peace in the area. He therefore emphasized that those behind the kidnappers who invaded their family compound must produce them because nobody owns Nteje community except God.
Meanwhile the traditional prime minister of Nteje community (Onowu Nteje) Chief Bennett Udeji Chinweze accused the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs of trying to deceive Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo into doing what is not right. According to him, there is no judgement whatsoever which said that the last traditional ruler Igwe Roland Odegbo was not an Igwe.
Onowu Nteje explained that late Igwe Roland Odegbo was issued certificate of recognition by the Peter Obi administration and he was the traditional ruler of Nteje community until his death. He further accused the Local Government Commissioner of being responsible for the Kingship crisis in communities since the inception of the Soludo administration.
Onowu Nteje noted that the entire Omambala region is in crisis because of the Commissioner’s personal interests and meddlesome attitudes in communities’ kingship matters. He therefore reiterated that it is the turn of Ifite-Nteje to produce the next king and Chief Chris Nnebo from Ifite-Nteje has been elected by the people to be their traditional ruler because Ezi-Nteje and Ikenga-Nteje have had their turns respectively.
A former President-General of the community Chief Chidiebere Obika told this journalist that the constitution of Nteje is explicit in who becomes Igwe Nteje. Obika equally corroborated the fact that it is the turn of Ifite-Nteje to produce the next traditional ruler and according to him, an election has been conducted and somebody emerged.
Obika stated that it is now left for the community to submit the name of the Igwe-elect to the state government for a formal recognition. He also informed that the Igwe-elect was presented to the NDU President-General before he was suspended from office over issues of embezzlement, perjury and other criminal allegations while the first vice president is now the acting President-General of Nteje Development Union even as he mentioned that the PG’s suspension matter is in the Otuocha High Court in Anambra-East Local Government.
When contacted for his reactions and responses to the criminal allegations levelled against him, the suspended NDU President-General Dr. Nnamdi Ilodiuba, told this journalist that he will not say anything because the matter is already in court.
But the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs in Anambra State, Hon. Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne said Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has not issued certificate to anyone in Nteje to occupy the traditional stool of the community.
That whether someone is meddling into the kingship matters of Nteje is immaterial as what really matters is that the governor hasn’t issued certificate of recognition to any person in the community.
The Commissioner therefore made it categorically clear that until court rules on the matter, any person parading himself as Igwe Nteje will be arrested and handed over to the appropriate authorities.
Source: Headline News
