In an astonishing turn of events, Chief Olisa Igbonwa, a man who was allegedly buried alive by his kinsmen in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area in 2022, dramatically resurfaced last week at the Anambra State House of Assembly.
The incident occurred when he confronted his elder brother, Chief Uzoma Igbonwa, leading to a significant commotion among lawmakers and assembly workers.
The unexpected encounter between the two brothers took the assembly by surprise, prompting a member of the House to lock the assembly complex’s gate to prevent outsiders from witnessing the confrontation.
Olisa Igbonwa, who had been presumed dead following a ceremonial burial organized by his kinsmen two years ago, accused his elder brother of orchestrating the burial and concealing property documents belonging to their late father.
The confrontation, rooted in a family feud over inheritance and an unsettled debt of $45,000 allegedly sent by Olisa to his brother during his stay in Switzerland, unfolded against the backdrop of a summon by the House committee on public petitions.
The community of Alor had been called to appear before the committee in relation to a petition against the town’s traditional ruler, Igwe Mac Anthony Okonkwo, further complicating the Igweship crisis in Alor.
The elder Igbonwa, caught off-guard by his brother’s sudden appearance, found himself at the centre of allegations involving the prolonged leadership dispute in Alor.
The dispute had led to the emergence of a rival traditional ruler, with Olisa’s brother accused of exacerbating the crisis.
Amidst these allegations, Olisa’s brother claimed that Igwe Mac-Anthony Okonkwo had hired thugs to attack him at the assembly, where he had lodged a petition against the traditional ruler over the decade-long crisis.
Despite the chaos and the serious accusations flying within the assembly premises, the Anambra State House of Assembly dismissed the petition against Igwe Mac-Anthony Okonkwo, urging the community to refrain from spreading rumours.
The incident, marking Olisa Igbonwa’s first public appearance since his alleged ceremonial burial, underscores the deep-seated familial and communal tensions in Alor, further highlighted by the contentious issue of traditional rulership.
An indigene of the community said, “It was, therefore, not surprising that when the Igweship tussle reared its head in Alor, the two brothers supported opposing candidates.
“In September 2023, the same group of people, led by Olisa’s brother and his anointed President General, sent a letter to the Anambra State Attorney General, claiming that Igwe Mac-Anthony Okonkwo had been sacked by the courts and should not be allowed to perform the annual New Yam Festival of the town.
”It took a strongly worded letter from Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, Igwe Mac-Anthony’s lawyer, who promptly wrote the Anambra Attorney General to clear the air concerning the fictitious and deceptive petition.
“The Alor Peace and Reconciliation Committee, set up to mediate in the decade-long crisis in the community, indicted the Igbonwa-led group for rejecting the harmonized and consensus selection done in February 2022, which was supervised by the Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, which was supposed to bring peace to the town.”