The Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, was a successful banker and cannot deny not to have once taken coffee in the serenity of his air-conditioned expansive executive offices, making apt decisions on Pounds, Dollar, Euro and Naira.
Eze Sunday Nwokoro Nwogu, Umuaka Asa Autonomous Community, Ukwa West Local Government Area, Abia State, claims he takes coffee with the Governor, always reaching the Governor on his hotlines at any time of choice.
The Eze is one of the 35 persons, who, without due process and recourse to the expression of the community's will, was hurriedly given the Staff of Office in May, 2023, few days before the end of Governor Victor Ikpeazu's government.
That hasty exercise, according to the people of the community, shredded the peace, tranquil, unity and development afore existing in the community.
Alluding to this exercise, the community complains of the constant intimidation by the Eze, who often makes puerile display of dialing the Governor's hotlines at every trivial issue, as some locals could not help, but tremble like leaves on this showmanship, while some other community stakeholders believe that the Eze is no stranger to vain exaggeration, trickery, deign and fakery character.
A community leader complained how on different occasions had the Eze deployed this intimidating strategy, especially on matters concerning injunctions to enhance the sale of community palm.
On February 17, during a peace parley at Phelicia Hotel Obehie, concerning the sale of community palm and on March 14, 2025, at the invitation of Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Obehie, Ukwa West Local Government Area, the Eze constantly reminded the community representatives how he reluctantly accepted Governor Otti's persuasion to honour the invitations.
On March 14, 2025, a major community stakeholder at another peace parley, pointedly cautioned him against such intimidating tactics of using the name of the Executive Governor for any vain achievements
The collection of Staff of Office by Eze Nwogu from Governor Ikpeazu's government, remains a mystery to the community, others say that his asendency to the office is like a foisted counterfeit currency to the community and blame Governor Ikpeazu for their woes.
Suit No: HUK/52/2020, instituted in the High Court of Abia State of Nigeria, Ukwa Judicial Division, Obehie, by one Prophet Chinasa Nwanne, of the Autonomous Community, gave a restricting order on the Staff of Office before its collection.
A Community Leader wondered how Eze Nwogu, who allegedly has no decent means of livelihood, manipulated himself to the office, stood in defiance of the High Court Order, secured the Staff of Office from the last administration.
He further revealed that the Eze who never participated in the community age-long due process of Eze selection was allegedly a native doctor at Okporo Community, in Orlu, Imo State, whose dubious and scary sacrifices, triggered the community's wrath, leading to his eventual return with his paraphernalia of diabolic worship, abandoning his properties, if any, the villager said.
Upon the receipt of the Staff of Office, the Eze recruited youths of questionable character to form vigilantee groups, arming them with knives, guns and other dangerous weapons, establishing a private cell to detain perceived enemies at will.
Investigations revealed that two of his blood brothers, (names withheld), who condemned his highhandedness, were by his command, beaten, macheted and detained in his private cell situated at the market square.
On the tetchy issue of women's protest against the sale of community palm for personal profiteering, Courage Times learnt that the Eze has 11 litigations on him, of which, four are injunctions restricting him from the sale of Community palm: Suit No's: HUK/29/2023; HUK/3/2023; HUK/16/2024; and Suit No. CC/BH/13/2025; while others bordered on ineptitude decisions, among others.
Another stakeholder of the community, detailed how the Eze with his cohorts squandered three times community palm sales, abandoning the de-roofed Community Town Hall, dilapidated school buildings and other priority needs of the community to rot away.
Villagers say the Eze has penchant for unholy activities, having twice trespassed into one Prince Ogbonna Onwuchekwa's private estate, harvesting palms for private expenditure, of which, the illegal harvest is currently under investigation at Abia State Zone 9 - just as the zone did in the previous trespass in 2024. Chief Onwuchekwa is said to come from Owaza Community, Ukwa West Local Government Area, Abia State.
According to investigations, the breakdown of record of Community palm sales are: N5m, N8m and N13m in 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively of which were not used for any community development till date.
Eze Nwogu, seemingly having been immune to defiling High Court orders prohibiting community palm sales, often employ his vigilantes, the State Zone 9, and SARS, Obehie, to forcefully harvest and detain protesting community women.
According to sources, the women's protest, the Eze in his usual brigandry, invited the services of a soldier from 144 battalion, Obehie Asa, to enforce another community palm harvest, shooting in the forest and beating villagers, including men and women of the community.
One Chidiadi Kingston Ulelu, Umuada Community, was arrested and taken to Eze Nwogu's palace, teargassed, clubbed with sticks by the soldier and his vigilantee, abandoned with bruises and dislocated joints.
Another source from the community revealed that many youths no longer crave for trade or skills, but have been initiated into the diabolism of quick-wealth syndrome, reviving abandoned ancient gods, worshipping and sacrificing living and mundane things for prosperity - a practice Governor Soludo deprecated in Anambra State, a neighbouring state where the Eze allegedly flew from.
When journalists who covered the women protest interviewed, Chief Uzor Nwachukwu, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Commissioner was said to have acknowledged receipt of petitions from Umuaka Asa and other aggrieved communities whose staff were allegedly "stolen" and hastily given to underserved persons. He however, promised to release the Government White Paper soon.
Many are of the opinion that the "soon" which has been the mantra of abandonment in past administration, should not be factored into Governor Alex Otti's administration, who has objectively changed the fowl smell of governance in Abia State to a sweet aroma of development.
However, the frustrated villagers are beginning to question what Government White Paper is? They are equally eager to know if an individual can alter any Government White Paper as the Eze Nwogu claims of always "taking coffee" and keeping the Governor on his toes to pick his calls. What else is delaying the Government White Paper on this sensitive matter.
Courage Times observed the obvious appreciation of Umuaka people in the Governor Alex Otti's government, especially the construction of Obehie-Umudiobia-Owaza road, among other major projects in the local government and state, but plead with the Governor to quickly free them from the bondage and choking grip of Eze Sunday Nwokoro.
All calls made to reach the Eze for balance, as the time of going to the press, and as did, other news platforms, were unsuccessful.
