A startling scene unfolded at the Anambra State Assembly when Olisa Igbonwa, presumed dead after a ceremonial burial two years ago, confronted his elder brother, Chief Uzoma Igbonwa, triggering a tumultuous uproar among lawmakers and assembly staff.
The unexpected confrontation between the siblings caught the assembly off guard, prompting one member to secure the complex’s gate to prevent outsiders from witnessing the dramatic encounter.
Olisa Igbonwa, who was believed to have been laid to rest, accused his elder brother of orchestrating his burial and withholding property documents belonging to their late father.
The altercation, stemming from a longstanding family feud over inheritance and an alleged unpaid debt of $45,000 sent by Olisa to his brother during his time in Switzerland, unfolded during a summons by the House committee on public petitions.
Adding to the complexity, the community of Alor had been summoned to appear before the committee regarding a petition against the town’s traditional ruler, Igwe Mac Anthony Okonkwo, further complicating the Igweship crisis in Alor.
Caught off guard by his brother’s sudden reappearance, the elder Igbonwa found himself at the center of allegations surrounding the prolonged leadership dispute in Alor, which had led to the emergence of a rival traditional ruler, with Olisa’s brother accused of fueling the crisis.
In response, Olisa’s brother claimed that thugs allegedly hired by Igwe Mac-Anthony Okonkwo had attempted to attack him at the assembly, where he had lodged a petition against the traditional ruler over the decade-long crisis.
Despite the chaos and serious allegations swirling within the assembly premises, the Anambra State House of Assembly dismissed the petition against Igwe Mac-Anthony Okonkwo, urging the community to refrain from spreading rumors.
The incident, marking Olisa Igbonwa’s first public appearance since his alleged ceremonial burial, underscores the deep-seated familial and communal tensions in Alor, further highlighted by the contentious issue of traditional rulership.
Reflecting on the situation, a community member remarked, “It was, therefore, not surprising that when the Igweship tussle reared its head in Alor, the two brothers supported opposing candidates.”
“In September 2023, the same group of people, led by Olisa’s brother and his anointed President General, sent a letter to the Anambra State Attorney General, claiming that Igwe Mac-Anthony Okonkwo had been sacked by the courts and should not be allowed to perform the annual New Yam Festival of the town.”
“It took a strongly worded letter from Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, Igwe Mac-Anthony’s lawyer, who promptly wrote the Anambra Attorney General to clear the air concerning the fictitious and deceptive petition. The Alor Peace and Reconciliation Committee, set up to mediate in the decade-long crisis in the community, indicted the Igbonwa-led group for rejecting the harmonized and consensus selection done in February 2022, which was supervised by the Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, which was supposed to bring peace to the town.”