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By Delta Fresh Vision
DELTA FRESH VISION, an NGO committed to social justice and good governance is aware that there has always been this lingering suspicion that the Idumuje-Ugboko crisis is being fueled by some powerful and rich persons behind the throne of Idumuje-Ugboko. Much has been written of the manner of ascension to the throne by Prince Nonso Nwoko against all known customs and traditions of his people of Idumuje-Ugboko Kingdom. It is also trite to mention that the former king of Idumuje-Ugboko, HRH Albert Nwoko III died under suspicious circumstances in 2017.

Many people have often wondered why Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie is neck deep in the Idumuje-Ugboko crisis and has been allegedly funding the crisis for some uncertain personal benefits. There has been no denial of the allegations. Gabriel Ogbechie has also been funding media wars on television and Facebook labeling Prince Ned Nwoko as a land grabber in a bid to raise a community assault on his person. From 2017 till date there have been several plots to remove Prince Ned Nwoko from the scene. These plots range from banishment plans to media onslaught.

Prince Ned Nwoko has survived these plots because he is a people’s oriented philanthropist and a community development lover. Added to this is his world acclaimed malaria eradication project and his role in the Paris Club Refunds to Nigeria, which practically at a time bailed Nigeria out of recession. It is clear that Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie has been in the forefront pushing for the staff of office to be given to Prince Nonso Nwoko irrespective of the grave charges against him and his cohorts bordering on murder and terrorism charges.

Some conspiracy theories have emerged that point fingers at Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie’s culpability in some of the crisis that has engulfed IdumujeUgboko kingdom from 2017 till date. One theory has it that some time ago shortly before the 2017 Idumuje-Ugboko mayhem, Dr. Ogbechie sought the support of Prince Nonso Nwoko to get a large parcel of land for his company, Norsworthy Farms for the planting of Oil Palm Plantation. Prince Nonso Nwoko thereafter told Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie that the only available parcel of land has been given to Prince Ned Nwoko for the establishment of a university and international golf course at Idumuje-Ugboko. However, allegedly propped on by Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie in exchange for support for an early granting of a staff of office, Prince Nonso Nwoko promptly issued letters, later found to be forged, that the late monarch, HRM Albert Nwoko has repudiated his earlier approval of a parcel of land to Prince Ned Nwoko to establish his STARS University and Golf Course. The outcome was massive as it led to clamp down of persons perceived to be opposed to the repudiation of developmental land for Prince Ned Nwoko.

Prince Nonso Nwoko plotted to banish Prince Ned Nwoko from the kingdom to give him unfettered powers to deal with opponents the way he liked, a plot that failed woefully. The ensuing 2017 mayhem in Idumuje –Ugboko is better imagined as it led to the death of an innocent okada rider, Cyprian Kumiolu and Kennedy Iloh. Other 29 persons suffered varying degrees of injuries while persons like Chief Christopher Ogwu, the Iyase or Prime Minister was tortured with his cars and house razed. Although Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie has been subtly presenting himself as a peace maker, it is clear that he has been acting a script to feather the nest of Prince Nonso Nwoko. He once sold the idea to Prince Ned Nwoko to seek an alternative land for his STARS University and Golf Course for peace to reign in the kingdom. In his publication titled “The Quest for Peace in Idumuje-Ugboko”, in the Vanguard Newspapers, Gabriel Ogbechie presented Dr. Prince Ned Nwoko as the antagonist in the Idumuje-Ugboko crisis, stressing that Prince Nonso Nwoko is a peace loving person who deserves to be given the staff of office. It is also instructive that Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie unable to succeed in his bid to allegedly dispossess Prince Ned Nwoko of his university land and secure an alternative land at Akwukwu-Igbo for his 3,000 hectares oil palm plantation and processing plant with the hope of replicating the project at Idumuje-Ugboko if the plan to deprive Prince Ned Nwoko of the university and golf course finally succeeds.

In the meantime, the terrorism and murder charges against Prince Nonso Nwoko and his co-travelers are still subsisting with more facts emerging every day. It is believed that Prince Ned Nwoko remains a thorn in the flesh of Prince Nonso Nwoko and Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie since Prince Ned Nwoko has refused to be compromised insisting that peace and justice must go hand-in-hand. It is said that Dr. Ogbechie once tried unsuccessfully to convince Prince Ned Nwoko to give Prince Nonso Nwoko a placatory sum of N100,000,000 (One Hundred Million Naira) only in other to pave way for some negotiation. Prince Ned Nwoko refused as he saw no sense in parting with such a huge sum of money for no good reason. Another conspiracy theory has it that Dr. Ogbechie sees his fellow kinsman, Prince (Dr.) Ned Nwoko as an adversarial competitor at Idumuje-Ugboko. Dr. Ogbechie, a prominent son of Idumuje-Ugboko who should support prime developmental projects like the STARS University and golf course is the one collaborating with Prince Nonso Nwoko to stall their take-off. This fierce competitive spirit has reached a dangerous level where even eight attempts to seek peace for Idumuje-Ugboko by high powered peace committees have failed, some of them scuttled by Prince Nonso Nwoko and Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie personally. If therefore Dr. Ogbechie is fingered in a plot to allegedly assassinate Prince Ned Nwoko, we need not go far in search of motives.
• Delta Fresh Vision
FRED AKPEWE CHAIRMAN
TIMOTHY NWAMU
SECRETARY