Anambra community replace monarch with 107-year-old man

The Nsugbe community in the Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State has selected 107-year-old Arinze Obiagwu as their new traditional ruler.

This came barely 24 hours after the centenarian, who is visually impaired, led a protest for the removal of the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Victor Ntorka, by the elders-in-council.

The community said Obiagwu, who is the oldest man in the area, would lead Nsugbe pending when normalcy would return.

The spokesperson for the elders, Nzeadigwe Nweke, told our correspondent that it was the custom and tradition of the community to appoint the oldest man as its leader whenever there was a leadership vacuum.

He listed some of the alleged sins of the dethroned monarch to include highhandedness, intimidation and flagrant abuse of power, which he said led to mayhem in the community and the burning of houses.

Before the removal of the monarch, a protest was staged by widows, members of the elders in-council and youths of the community.

The protesters sang dirges, carried placards with various inscriptions and moved round the community with a hearse carrying a casket purporting to be that of the monarch.

The centenarian, Obiagwu, told journalists that the monarch had desecrated the land and was no longer fit and proper to lead the community.

He said, “Ntorka has desecrated this community. Since I was born in this community about 107 years ago, I have not seen a king that has treated his subjects this bad and he is unperturbed.

“The worst is that the monarch has refused to recognise me as the oldest person in this community, a situation that has never happened in the history of Nsugbe.

“Our customs and tradition have a place for the oldest man in our community, who is bestowed with some roles to play in guiding the younger ones, but this particular monarch said he won’t recognise me. Did I make myself the oldest man here? It is the handwork of God.

Efforts to get the monarch to react to the allegations failed as his telephone line indicated that it was not available.

He had yet to respond to a text message sent to his mobile telephone by our correspondent on the matter as of the time of filing this report.

But a member of his cabinet, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the allegations against the monarch as false and unfounded

He said, “Igwe Ntorka is a good person. Everybody in this community, including the protesters, can attest to his goodness.

“The allegations are false and politically motivated. Igwe is a strong supporter of Governor Willie Obiano’s government, which certain politicians here don’t like for reasons best known to them.

“Nobody can remove Igwe Ntorka from the throne. He remains the traditional ruler of Nsugbe and he is the only person recognised as such by the Anambra State Government. All you are seeing is about the 2021 governorship election in the state, with some people here vowing to stop the All Progressives Grand Alliance. Igwe is innocent of all these allegations.’’