Court Sacks Mbosi Monarch, declares Oluoha Stool rotational 

..,…Defendants Had Told Court Late Oluoha Claimant, Okwereogu, Was Convicted in 1917

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

An Anambra State High Court sitting in Nnewi has restrained Gregory Nwokaha from parading himself as the Oluoha of Mbosi in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

The court declared that the traditional stool is rotational among the three quarters of the community and not the exclusive hereditary right of any particular quarter or village.

The court, presided over by Justice B.A. Ogbuli, further declared that it was the turn of Ihiteoha Quarters, comprising Ubahinnaka, Ogwugwuekwe, Umuezike and Agunnaga villages, to produce the next traditional ruler of Mbosi.

In his judgment, Justice Ogbuli specifically restrained the first defendant, Nwokaha, from parading himself as the Igwe Oluoha-elect or Igwe Oluoha of Mbosi based on the purported election or selection conducted by Ichie Peter Okafor and Mr. Cyril Mbachu on April 27, 2023.

The judge, however, made no order as to costs, leaving both the plaintiffs and defendants to bear their respective legal expenses.

The judgment followed the hearing of submissions by counsel representing the parties, as well as the consideration of relevant legal authorities cited before the court. 

Counsel to the plaintiffs was Smart Obi, Esq., while A.C. Obiajulu, Esq., with C.M. Obijagwam, Esq., represented the first to fourth defendants. The fifth and sixth defendants were represented by A.C. Anaenugwu, SAN, alongside N.D. Nnodum, Esq., and P.C. Afuba, Esq.

The dispute centred on the traditional succession arrangement governing the Oluoha stool, with the second set of defendants, Ozo Augustine Onyekwere and Mr. Aloysius Eze, appearing for themselves and on behalf of members of Umueze Village, Isu-Mbosi Quarters, Mbosi.

During the proceedings, the second set of defendants had maintained that the Oluoha stool was hereditary rather than rotational, insisting that only descendants of Dara Ezenyi from Umueze Village were entitled to occupy the traditional position.

They also challenged the historical claim surrounding the late Okwereogu of Mkpo Ehihe Village, arguing that he was never an Oluoha but merely a tax collector who was convicted in 1917 by the Customary Court, Oguga, Ihiala, over alleged misappropriation of tax revenue and extortion.

However, Justice Ogbuli, while addressing the historical argument in his judgment, held that the reported imprisonment of Okwereogu did not diminish his traditional status.

The judge stated: “No doubt, Okwereogu might have been a warrant chief and imprisoned by the government, but that did not make him any less a traditional ruler of Mbosi.”

Referring to Exhibit D23 tendered before the court, Justice Ogbuli noted that the document described Okwereogu as a “Head Chief” who was imprisoned for extortion in April 1917.

The plaintiffs in the suit included Chief P.C. Adione and Mr. Titus Afumire, representing themselves and members of Ubahinnaka Village, Ihiteoha Quarters, Mbosi.

Other plaintiffs were Ichie Christopher Muoka Obijekwu and Mr. Celestine Nwachukwu, representing members of Ogwugwuekwe Village, while Ichie Simon Udegbe and Sir G.O.C. Obiwulu represented members of Agunnaga Village, all within Ihiteoha Quarters of Mbosi.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the judgment, an indigene of Mbosi, Mr. Okeke Nwachukwu, described the court’s decision as significant to the ongoing traditional leadership dispute in the community.

He also criticised the proposed remembrance ceremony for the late Okwereogu by his descendants, citing the historical account of his conviction in 1917.

According to him, the ceremony was an attempt to influence public perception of the traditional history of Mbosi, insisting that the community was familiar with its historical records.

He said the controversy surrounding the traditional stool should not be allowed to undermine the historical understanding and peaceful coexistence of the people.

The judgment is expected to provide a judicial pronouncement on the rotational arrangement governing the Oluoha stool and the entitlement of Ihiteoha Quarters to present the next traditional ruler of Mbosi.