BY SUNNY A. DAVID
Some women from Nkerehi Community in Orumba South Council Area of Anambra State, have staged a peaceful demonstration against a front line politician in the area for allegedly intimidating them because they wanted to retain the Community’s name as Nkerehi.
The women who wore black depicting that they were mourning were at the Government House, Awka, to appeal to the State government to come to their aid as they no longer move freely in their town for fear of molestation .
Our correspondent covered the protest and reports that the women who raised their voices high, were carrying pla-cards with inscriptions like “Godwin Mmaduka, change of name is not by force”, “Godwin Mmaduka has forcefully taken our lands, we now live in fear”, “Anambra State government please come to our aid,” among others.
Narrating the incidents that led to the protest, one of the women, Mrs. Maureen Igwike, alleged that her husband escaped death on the 7th of January this year while she was beaten black and blue on the same day simply because they wanted to retain the original name of the town which is Nkerehi, against Umuchukwu preferred by the politician.
Another woman Mrs. Augustina Okeke claimed that her husband was beaten to the point of death on the sixth of January by some youths for objecting to the change of the town’s name from Nkerehi to Umuchukwu, while Mrs. Joy Anunobi also alleged that her fourteen year old son suffered the same fate, during the burial of her father in-law because they wrote Nkerehi on the poster.
Addressing the women, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Community and Town Union Matters Barrister Mrs. Vera Queen Okonkwo, reassured them that Governor Willie Obiano has zero tolerance for intimidation, saying that everybody has freedom of association, speech, religion among others.
The Special Adviser wondered why people would be deprived of their right of choice of which Community to belong.
Barrister Okonkwo promised them that she will relay their message to the Governor as soon as possible expressing optimism that favourable action will come from government to ameliorate their plight.
In a swift reaction when contacted on the telephone, a younger brother to Dr Mmaduka, Barrister Ken Mmaduka whose name was also mentioned by the women as one of the people harassing their families, explained that the name Umuchukwu was gazetted as one of the towns in Anambra in 2008, arguing that the name Nkerehi is not anywhere in the list of towns in Anambra State.
Barrister Mmaduka revealed that the matter has been in High Court and Appeal Court where the name Umuchukwu was recognised, and wondered why the women did not wait for the judgment from the apex Court, noting that it was only few families that were against the change of name which according to him is an insignificant number that cannot hold the town to ransom because of their refusal to accept the name Umuchukwu.
He said the allegations by the women were false, fabricated to tarnish the image of his politician brother.
