By Don Peter Okoro.
A middle aged woman by name Mrs. Rose Odogo married to late Mr. Samuel Emeka Odogo from Okpuno Nnewichi, Nnewi Anambra State has cried out to the powers that be to step into her case and save her and her children from the hands of people who want them dead and buried. Narrating her ordeal in the hands of Mr. Chidi Jasper Odogo and Mr. Humphrey Ngonadi.
Mrs Rose Odogo stated that in 2007, her late father in law, Chief Odogo took her husband, Mr. Samuel Odogo to the Igwe Nnewi and informed the palace that Samuel is his Di Okpala ( First Son) and that in the event of his demise he should be accorded all the rights and privileges of a first son and the Inheritor of his Obi and properties. He didn’t stop there, he also took him to the Obi Nnewichi and repeated the same thing, samething he did in their kindred Meetings and among other family members and everything was accepted as such.
Shortly after that in 2011, Chief Odogo died and was buried in his compound. Samuel now took over as the Obi, controlling the estate of late Chief Odogo.
Samuel had 4 Children,2 males and 2 females with Mr. Arinze as the first son. No sooner had Samuel passed on than Chidi Jasper Odogo,the brother of Samuel who had denounced their father because of their conflicting religious beliefs started the process of intimidation, harassment and assault.
In the course of denouncing their father, the father out of his magnanimity settled him with portions of land outside of his domain, so that he can live in peace elsewhere and raise his own family away from his residence, that was the situation of things until Chief Odogo passed on in 2011 Since then, the family of Samuel Odogo has never known peace.
After the death of Samuel Odogo in 2019, under questionable circumstances, Chidi Odogo started scheming on how to take over the landed property of a place he wasn’t staying; knowing fully well that he has been settled elsewhere. Mr. Ngonadi showed great Interest in the landed property offering #20 million to buy it but the woman and her children refused.
It was at this stage that the intimidation and harassment became more intense. The poor widow and her son were mercilessly harassed and assaulted without respite. Fearing for their dear lives, at that point, they had no choice but to sell the land and take refuge elsewhere.
As soon as it came to my knowledge of the aforementioned people that the land has been sold, all hell was let loose.
They started using the Police and a section of the Judiciary to harass the poor widow and her son, dragging them to Awka and Abuja. After the sale of the land,as the Buyer was about to begin work, the Aggressors went after the Workers disrupting the building process and putting the place under lock and key.
So far the Buyer has been deprived of work in his rightly acquired property. It was in the light of this that bellnews.com. visited the Obi Nnewichi to seek the opinion of the Traditional Ruler on the ongoing saga as the custodian of culture and tradition of the land and to ascertain whether the land was legally or illegally acquired.
Here is what he has to say:” I am Obi George Onyekaba ( Obidigwu) the Obi of Nnewichi, Nnewi. Yes concerning the the land Arinze Odogo sold to Emeka Chukwueloka,, Emeka Eloka bought the land legitimately and according to the customs and tradion of Nnewichi.
So the land belongs to Emeka Chukwueloka. And the person, Arinze Odogo who sold the land to Emeka Eloka is the first son of the first son of late Chief Odogo, called Samuel Odogo.
Odogo as a person and in his capacity during his lifetime, brought Samuel Odogo here before me and Odogo himself told me that this young man he brought to my palace to show me is his first son.
That it is this boy Samuel that will replace him after his time on earth as the Obi of his kindred. That was what Odogo himself said in his capacity as the Obi Onukweli.
He brought the young man before me. After sometime, The Odogu himself died and trouble broke out in his family. The second son of Odogo insisted that, that Samuel Odogo should not occupy the house their late father left for him as his first son. As a matter of fact, the time Odogo brought this son, they were living together in the same house.
When Odogo died, Samuel continued to own the house, because he lived in the house as the first son of late Chief Odogo. So when trouble started, the trouble started because the second son of late Chief Odogo, called Chidi Odogo insisted that the first son will not take his proper place as their late father placed his first son.
That is what caused the problem. So Chidi himself continued to harass, intimidate and assault Mr. Samuel Odogo. In the process and along the line, Samuel Odogo died. Chidi Odogo the second son,insisted that Samuel should not be buried in his father’s compound as the first son.
I am the one that ordered that Samuel must be buried in his father’s compound as the first son and that was what was done. After the burial of Samuel as the first son, of late Chief Odogo, Chidi continued his wahala, trouble, harassment and intimidation to the son of Samuel called Arinze Odogo and wife of the late Samuel Odogo.
With this continued harassment and intimidation, Arinze decided to sell the portion of the and. He sold the land to Emeka Chukwueloka and used the money to buy land elsewhere, built and that’s where they are now living.”