Bianca, widow of Dim Chukwuemeka
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has hired the services of private security personnel to
guard the GRA, Enugu home of her husband, where she also resides.
Aside from guarding the house, THE PUNCH
learnt that Bianca might have taken the decision in order to prevent
warring family members, who want their share of Ojukwu’s property, from
gaining entry into the compound.
When our correspondent visited the house on Tuesday, the gun-wielding men moved round the compound with Rottweiler dogs.
One of them said, “If you must gain
entry, you must identify yourself and madam must give us the approval
before we allow you in.”
A prominent member of the Ojukwu family
last week alleged that some of the ex-Biafra warlord’s family members
were targeting the property he left behind.
He said, “This is very disturbing
because it has led to accusations and counter-accusations and then the
hatred that was already in the family is even getting worse by the day.”
Meanwhile, attempts made by our
correspondent to speak with Bianca were not successful. She did not pick
her calls, neither did she reply the text messages that were sent to
her mobile telephone line.
However, Debe, the eldest child of the
late Ikemba, restated again on Tuesday that he would open up soon on the
“issues in the family”.
He said, “Whenever it would be
convenient for me, I will speak in details about the issues in the
family and several other matters.”
Mr. Azuka Okwuosa, who was Ojukwu’s
closest aide from 1982 after he returned from exile till 2011 when he
died, said it would not be proper for him to comments on the matter
because Igbo tradition forbides him from doing so.
“In Igbo tradition, when a man like
Ikemba dies, you wait for 30 days to say anything about his life and
family. Under such condition, we are not supposed to be talking about
his life unless we would be negating the Igbo tradition,” Okwuosa said.
He, however, said what was happening in
Ojukwu’s family was not new. “It happens everywhere. People agree and
disagree,” he said.
He called on the family members to be patient pending when Ojukwu’s Will would be read.
When asked if he was in support of
Bianca hiring private security men to prevent other family members from
visiting house. Okwuosa said, “Bianca’s decision is basically out of
choice. The few times I have been to the house to see her; those
security men were not rude to anybody. They would attend to you in so
far your mission there is genuine and legitimate.”
On the other hand, Mr. Bismack Oji,
former national chairman, Ohanaeze Youth Wing, berated the family for
the act, describing their action as “a disservice to Ezeigbo (Ojukwu)”.
Oji, said, “When a king dies in
Igboland, it is only proper that we give one year interlude before one
begins to put up claims over his property or begin to cause problems
that may not allow for the peaceful repose of his soul.
“It is needless fighting over his
property and assets when there is obviously a Will that would assign any
property to any member of the family.”
He added, “Even before Ikemba was
buried, his children and other family members had even started the
fight. Now that he has been buried and his wife has gone to seek
protection by employing security men, one may not really blame her for
such an action.”
One of Ojukwu’s aide, who is now a
pastor in Enugu and didn’t want his name in print, blamed the crisis on
Ralph Uwazuruike, whom he said had already proclaimed himself the
Ezeigbo II and the new Igbo leader even before Ojukwu was buried.
He said, “His (Ojukwu) family members
began to jostle for his property when they saw the way Uwazuruike was
also jostling for his titles and positions even before the burial plans
were concluded.”-punch
No comments:
Post a Comment