The under-attack paramount ruler of Rumuosi community, Akpor Kingdom, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, HRH, Eze John Chibuzor Owhortee, Nyewe Eli Rumuosi, presently in exile after a section of his subjects invaded and desecrated his palace, last month, over a land dispute, has recounted how he escaped death by the whiskers and his travails as a fugitive in a nearby community.
HRH Owhortee, who spoke exclusively to Newsmen said he fled through the back door in his palace, when he peeped from his bedroom and saw armed youths that were desperate to kill him.
Nyewe Eli Rumuosi, who is taking refuge at the palace of his Rumuekini colleague, said it was an abomination to raid the palace and sacrifices had to be made to appease the gods, but members of the group, Otu-Ovu, which chased him out of the palace on a charge of marginalization, remain unapologetic.
Its leaders, who had invoked a powerful deity, Alagbaraka, in Mbaise, Imo State, over the land crisis, are insisting that the monarch must swear before the deity, which the traditional ruler said would be over his dead body because he does not believe in its efficacy. Beside the monarch, Chairman of the Community Development Committee, CDC, Mr. Austine Akani, was also chased out of the community by the rampaging youths.
Presently, there is an edgy calm in Rumuosi community with many of the villagers, particularly those under investigation by the police, gone into hiding.
‘How I fled my palace’
On why he fled his domain, HRH Owhortee, said: “I fled my community because youths invaded my palace with dangerous weapons to kill me. That morning I was in my bedroom when a policeman came directly into my bedroom. “I thought it was my wife but when I turned, I saw it was a policeman and I shouted, ‘a police man in my bedroom?’ That was when he went out.
“But when I looked outside and saw youths with weapons, I knew there was trouble. So I went out through the back door. When they noticed I was using the back door, they came after me. If not for God, I do not know what my faith would have been. “It has not been easy with me as a Royal Highness to live my life outside my kingdom for even one day. Since I became a royal father, I have not done it before, but situation has forced me into it. The day these boys attacked me, it was just the grace of God that saved me.
“I have not been functioning fully as the Nyewe Eli Rumuosi since I was chased out of the community. All my activities in the community are on hold until I return. I have not been using my main palace. “For now, I am still living at the palace of the Rumuekini paramount ruler, Eze Jerome Ogwu Akandu. Any time I am coming to my palace to take something, I always take permission from the Eze.”
The Nyewe Eli, who spoke from his hiding, said it was inhuman for youths to attack their father with weapons.
‘I can’t swear juju’
On the demand that he should swear before a deity, the paramount ruler asserted: “I do not like the issue of juju at all. It is better we settle our differences outside going to juju. We all know what juju is, it does not work like human being. It does not know how to judge cases like we do. “If you protect yourself from being attacked, what about your family and children? Even when you are not guilty, it is not good at all to involve juju in human affairs.
“They summoned me and my group in Alagbaraka, a strong juju in Mbaise, Imo State. I arrested two of their members. “When this issue came up, I tried to make peace, but the Otu-Ovu was not ready to accept peace. I took the case to Akpor Council of Chiefs and they proclaimed judgment but Otu-Ovu rejected the judgment.
“They continued selling the land that belongs to the entire family. Even when Rumuekini came into the case, they refused to hold on till judgment is made and were still doing their wish.” “Up till now, I have not returned to my palace. Before I will come back to my kingdom, the people must perform some sacrifices to appease the gods of the land because it is a bad omen to chase a ruler out from his kingdom. When this is done then I will return fully.”
Appeal
“ I call on the Otu-Ovu to sheath their sword and come back to me, their father. That land in dispute belongs to all of us in the family. So they should stop selling off portions without my consent, as the Nyewe Eli. It is not in our character to carry arms, but I do not know what has come over them.” He urged the state government to assist in restoring peace to the troubled community before the situation gets out of hand, saying “we do not want war.”
He’s coveting another man’s property— Chukwu
The second eldest person in Rumuosi community, Chief Agbaramene Chukwu, who claimed he was among the persons that cleared the land in dispute, told Newsmen that the paramount ruler was claiming what does not belong to him. The elder, who spoke through his son, Nda Chukwu, said: “The land measures over 2,000 plots and has three sections.
The bigger part is not in dispute, but the small part which belongs to our own immediate family, where his own family does not have land, is what the paramount ruler wants us to bring and join it with the larger one that belongs to the entire Okuruozu. But we refused.
Why we brought juju
“There is no way we will give what belongs to us to the larger family. The paramount ruler and the CDC chairman left the bigger portion and now want the small one that our own fathers left for us. “On this we sued for peace in the traditional way because it is a traditional matter. It is not a taboo to bring juju into Rumuosi. Even the paramount ruler and his factional chiefs have often times given people juju to swear before.
“ He and his faction are afraid of juju because they do not want to die because they know very well that they are at fault. If he knows that he is right in his claims, why not go to the juju and judge the matter? He went to police because he believes he can bribe his way out.”
He knows what is pursuing him — Youth leader
Akpor youth leader, Mr. Goodnews Amadi, said: “It is greed that is making the Community Development Committee, CDC, chairman and the paramount ruler to be causing all these trouble. The family of the CDC chairman had finished selling their own land. Now that the price of land has appreciated in the area, he is looking for the one he can sell.
“He (monarch) deserves what he is getting. Nobody is holding him from coming back to his home. He knows what he is running from. It is better he does what is right as the ruler of the community. Is it now he knows that juju is bad? Has he not given people juju to swear before?”
Paramount ruler, CDC chair liable— Otu-Ovu member
A member of the Otu-ovu, Mr. Obi Amadi, said: “The CDC chairman, Mr. Austine Akani, and the paramount ruler, Eze John Owhortee, are to blame in this whole thing. They are meant to ensure there is peace in the community that is placed in their care. They should be the number one peace makers.
“ When the issue of this land came up, we told them to allow the original owners of that portion of land to take it, while the whole Okuruozu shares the Igbogo together. But he turned it down. “Because of the plan of the paramount ruler to take the land that does not belong to him, we formed a union. Otu-Ovu includes youths, chiefs and elders who the paramount ruler and his cohorts want to take their land.
“Eze Oriebe worsened the whole thing through his purported judgment. He gave us a wrong judgment and that is what has ignited this fire. We started another peace process, but they breached it. We are ready to make peace, but they are not accepting our moves. “Since this problem resurfaced, we have not been sleeping in our houses because they have even hired heavily-armed thugs to kill us. They threaten us every day on phone.”
Amadi said the only way peace can return to the community was to invite God-ordained clergymen to proclaim the truth as it is and handle the reconciliation process.
