I have no hand in demolition of blind man’s house — Enugu native ruler

The Traditional Ruler of Ihekwuenu Aku Community in Igboetiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Christopher Okwor, has denied having a hand in the demolition of a blind man’s bungalow within the community.  Igwe Okwor rather claimed that a certain individual in the area was cashing in on the blind man’s condition to use […]

The Traditional Ruler of Ihekwuenu Aku Community in Igboetiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Christopher Okwor, has denied having a hand in the demolition of a blind man’s bungalow within the community. 

Igwe Okwor rather claimed that a certain individual in the area was cashing in on the blind man’s condition to use him in land-grabbing in the area. 

South East Trust recalls that the state government on Sept. 21 suspended Igwe Okwor for his purported role in the demolition of a house built by a philanthropist for a 60-year-old visually impaired native of the community. 

A statement by the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Dr. Charles C. O. Egumgbe, said the suspension “is in the interest of peace, order and good governance and in compliance with Section (10b) of the Traditional Rulers Law, Cap 151, Revised Laws of Enugu State, 2004”. 

The state government had hitherto summoned the Council Chairman of Igboetiti Local Government Area, Mrs. Nkechi Ugwu-Oju and the native ruler concerning the development. 

The suspension of Igwe Okwor is part of the outcome of the meeting following the trending video of the demolition of a two-bedroom building belonging to a visually impaired man in the community. 

However, Igwe Okwor, during an interaction with newsmen in Enugu, accused Mr Nnamdi Ezemagu, a legal practitioner, of sponsoring the thugs to invade his residence. 

Speaking specifically on the demolition of the blind man’s building, Igwe Okwor said: “The building in question is on a land where I have my house. 

“The visually impaired man is not from our kindred. He has his own compound.” 

Okwor said the only wrong he did was to stop Ezemagu from grabbing land in the community. 

He said that Ezemagu was using the visually impaired man as proxy to grab the land as court documents revealed that he (Ezemagu) was contesting ownership of the land. 

But when contacted, Ezemagu denied the allegations but declined further comments on the matter.