To summarily shed light on the above captured subject matter, it is pertinent to intimate you that the unfounded, baseless and illegal action of Hon. Marcel Amadioha has caused crisis and consequently resulted in cult rivalry in the autonomous community of Mmahu, the Traditional headquarters of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, thereby occasioning the cold blooded murder of about seven (7) persons; a prominent amongst these deceased persons, is one Chief Athanasius Nwokocha, who was allegedly murdered by a cult group on the 5th day of July, 2021.
That since then, there has been numerous and continuous apprehension in the community and this development has continued to scuttle and breach public peace in the community.
This whole menace all started in 2020 when Hon. Marcel Amadioha, the Interim Management Committee Chairman of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, whom upon resumption of office, dissolved an existing Town Union leadership appointed by the community and went ahead to inaugurate and impose an illegal unilateral caretaker committee on the people of Mmahu Autonomous Community, against any extant law of the land.
This high-handedness and illegal imposition was not only done in utter violation of the law but also against the will of the people of Mmahu Autonomous Community and in flagrant disregard to the directives given by His Excellency, Dist. Sen. Hope Uzodimma, the Executive Governor of Imo State on the 27th day of July, 2020 at a Town Hall meeting with all the Traditional Rulers in Imo State, wherein His Excellency rightly directed the Traditional Rulers of Autonomous Communities without elected leaders/executives to liaise with their respective community stakeholders and ensure the conduct of a proper and legitimate election to fill in the different vacant positions in their various Town Unions and other arms of community government.
That in order to restore peace in the community, a meeting comprising of the community appointed Town Union & Youth Executives, Town Union & Youth Executives appointed by Hon. Marcel Amadioha and all other relevant Community stakeholders (home & abroad), including representatives of the Nigeria Police Force and D.S.S. was held on the 17th day of October, 2020, wherein it was resolved and agreed by all parties in attendance that Hon. Marcel’s unilateral Caretaker Committee and the Caretaker Committee inaugurated by the community should be merge together to serve on sole purpose of conducting a fresh election. That Hon. Marcel Amadioha and his unilateral committee later opted out of the agreement.
To further cause mayhem in the community, on Monday, the 11th day of October 2021, Hon. Marcel mobilized a group of boys dressed in cult regalia and suspected to be cult members from other states and nearby communities in a bid to inaugurate them as vigilante group in Mmahu community. An action which caused so much apprehension and tension in the community but for the timely and swift intervention of the then Area Commander, Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru – West, Area Command, the Divisional Police Officer in Egbema and a Special Squad invited by Hon. Heclus Okoro to arrest the situation.
Based on the above, a Peace Committee of notable sons and daughters of Egbema clan led by Rev. (Dr.) J.C. Omoegbu which also include some Traditional Rulers and the Chairman of Ogbako/Egbema has come to resolve this matter and consequently advised that Hon. Marcel Amadioha allows the community to organize their elections and restore lasting peace in the community but all to no avail. That, he instead, vowed and continued to maintain that the Mmahu community will not hold any election until he lives office whereas, other communities; Obokofia and Abacheke including his own community, Etekwuru had held their Town Unions and Youth elections without any interference.
Meanwhile, in December, 2021, in order to complement the effort of the community leadership in the area of security and further stop Hon. Marcel Amadioha, his illegally imposed committee led by CHARLES MGBARAHO and their cohorts from inaugurating and imposing an illegal vigilante group on the community, the Divisional Police Officer in Egbema called on the leadership of the community led by EZE A.I. IWUOGU, the Ezenma of Mmahu Autonomous Community to submit names of people to be screened for inauguration as vigilante members for the expansion of the existing vigilante group and foster a proper security of the community.
Sequel to the above directive, names were submitted by all relevant stake holders, the said screening was conducted, and names of qualified candidates also released, the Hon. Marcel Amadioha’s illegally imposed committee (led by Charles Mgbaraho) in the community vowed that the inauguration of the vigilante group will not take place because some of the names submitted by them were screened out. The names that were screened out/disqualified were alleged members of a dreaded cult group named Iceland confraternity and suspected criminals; armed robbers and kidnappers who were arrested earlier last year for different crimes.
It is however unfortunate that in spite of the monumental step taken by the Divisional Police Officer in Egbema to restore peace in the community, he and the Area Commander of Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta later succumbed/bowed to the pressure of Hon. Marcel Amadioha and his cohorts and thus added the names of the cult boys they had earlier screened out while removing only two names and against the protest of the leadership of the community, the Divisional Police Officer in Egbema and the Area Commander of Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta are now doing the bidding of Hon. Marcel Amadioha and his illegally imposed Caretaker Committee and thus have further gone ahead to inaugurate the illegal vigilante group comprising of criminals (cults boys and armed robbers) who are now terrorizing the community.
In other to bring peace and lasting solution to this chaos that has continued to hover around Mmahu, the Community, through her Lawyer, Benjamin Tambari, Esq registered a petition in the office of the Inspector – General of Police, Nigeria, who is now seized of the matter and has consequently initiated an investigation process through the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Imo State Command.
The Local Government Chairman and his illegally imposed Committee has since been invited by the police and further investigation is still ongoing.
There is a standing rule in Mmahu community that members of secret cults cannot hold any leadership or security position in the community.
This is so because, if you give leadership or security position to cultists, there will be heavy rivalry, oppression, fighting and killings. If one cult group is empowered, they will try to suppress the other group and the later’s resistance will lead to bloodbath. The community rejected the members of Iceland and Deegbam from being their vigilante.
How can murderers be asked to take charge of the security of the town? Cult rivalry caused the killing of several people in 2008. Since then, the rivalry is still on, and we refused to allow them destroy our community. Both Deegbam and Iceland have killed people in Mmahu community in the last 6months.
The recent killing of the seven persons in the community and the consequent preliminary police report informs the early warning vide letter to the Executive governor of the Sate and Inspector General of police by the community members and letter to Divisional police officer by cults boys as vigilante and its implications.
This is because it will result to cult rivalry and bloodbath.
