Nigeria: Leadership Crisis In Igala Community Kaduna Settled, Faction Leaders Reprimanded

By Joseph Edegbo

Kaduna (Nigeria) – The Administrative and Traditional leadership crisis within the Igala Community resident in Kaduna, Northwest of the country has been settled with the reaffirmation of Chief Joseph Daikwo as the Chief (Onu) and Mr Micheal Agbata as the President of the community respectively.

The reaffirmation followed the submission of a report of the Peace Committee constituted in August 2017 by Elders of the community to look into the causes of the crisis and reconcile factions towards ensuring peace and unity in the community.

The 8 – member committee which was headed by Abdulmalik Haruna and Alhassan Atabo as Secretary, were drawn from the former 3 Divisions in Igala land, Ankpa, Idah and Dekina including a representative each from the women and youth.

In the report submitted to the community and received by an Elder statesman, Chief Gabriel Aduku on Saturday, the committee said by virtue of section 24 of Igala community’s Constitution, it was the Ibaji Local Government Association’s turn to nominate the President, which was rightly complied with.

And as such, they said, Chairmen from other local governments who ganged up to parade one Ojonuba Iboyi as president was not only illegal but causing disunity in the community.

The ganged up Chairmen from Ankpa, Idah, Igalamela/Odolu, Ofu , and Omala who claimed stakeholders , the committee said, was unconstitutional as this could not be found in the community’s Constitution.

Their ganging up, it emphasised, was misleading the said Ojonuba Iboyi to misbehave against the Constitution and therefore recommended that the forum of those Chairmen be banned.

On those already banned by His Royal Majesty, Attah Igala, the Committee recommended that the Amana Ogohi 1, Chief Gabriel Aduku and members of the Elders council should inform them to write letter of undertaking through the Olimeneh Attah, Chief Joseph Daikwo to His Royal Majesty that they would henceforth be of good behaviour and shall continue to see Chief Daikwo as the subsisting Chief of Igala community, Kaduna.

Also, they shall work with him in harmony with a view for His Royal Majesty to unbanning them to participate in Igala community activities henceforth.

The committee recommended that henceforth, any misunderstanding arising from individuals, group or Chief (Onu) in the community, it should first be reported to the Elders council instead of police, Government agencies or court.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Committee has tried all it could to bring all the parties aggrieved in the Community and wish to recommend as follows:

1.       That the issue of President of lgala Community by virtue of Section 24 of Igala Community, Kaduna, it is Ibaji Local Government Association’s turn to nominate and the Association has rightly complied with that provision. Hence, no group of Chairmen is constitutionally empowered to do so.

2.       That by virtue of Section 24 of lgala Community Constitution it did not state categorically that Vice President should take over the President; hence the issue that Ojonuba has been the Vice President must be the President should not arise.

3.       That the Resolution sealed by indigenes of Ibaji which is subsisting, it is only Ibaji who has the right to unsealed it and nobody else.

4.       That in the course of the Committee’s assignment, Ojonuba has appeared before the Committee more than three times, the Committee has not seen any Ibaji person accompanying him only the Chairmen of the Local Government Associations. This is an indication that Ojonuba has no support from his Local Government Association. The Chairmen from other Local Government Associations parading Ojonuba illegally are the people causing disunity in Kaduna.

5.       That Amana Ogohi I and Members of Elder Council in consultation with Olimene Attah/Onu Igala Community, Kaduna should fashion out appropriate nomenclature of the beaded Chiefs since their presence at Olimene’s Palace command respect for the Palace and approach Agaibadu for the return of those titles in accordance with Section 42 of Igala Community, Kaduna that stated that His Royal Majesty (Attah Igala) shall be the final arbiter on all matters of misunderstanding.

6.       That in the same vein, Amana Ogohi I and Members of Elder Council in consultation with Olimene/Onu Igala Community, Kaduna should endeavour to inform those banned in the letter from His Royal Majesty, Agabaidu’s letter dated 2othSeptember, 2016 to write letter of undertaking through Olimene to Agabaidu that they will henceforth be of good behaviour and shall continue to see that Chief(Onu) Joseph Daikwo is the subsisting Chief of Igala Community in Kaduna and will work with him in harmony with a view to unbanning them to participate in Igala Community activities henceforth.

7.       That Chairmen of Local Government Associations, Ankpa, ldah, Igalamela/Odolu, Ofu and Omala who are claiming Stakeholders is unconstitutional and cannot be found in Igala Community, Kaduna Constitution currently in use and their gang up is misleading Ojonuba to mishave against the written constitution. The Peace Committee is recommending that that Forum should be banned and refrain from supporting Ojonuba’s lgala Community forthwith.

8.       That as spelt out in a document from the Nigeria Police, State Intelligence Bureau –  copy hereby attached, Appendix XII. Those who gave undertaking and those said to be at large are still among the people (Chairmen forum) causing disunity in the Community. They should be told of the undertaking written so that there will be harmony in the Community. That as they agreed with the Police that Chief (Onu) Joseph Daikwo is the subsisting Chief in Kaduna they should allow that to stand and refrain from mentioning dethronement henceforth.

9.       That the Chairman of Igalamela/Odolu who is also among the signatories to all the letters written by the Chairman, Local Government Associations should be cautioned because of the honesty and respect Igalamela/Odolu has for peace which led that Msociation to submit an impressive memorandum (which Garba Abubakar was among the signatories) suspending itself from Igala Community, Kaduna if there are no peace and unity — Appendix XIV.

10.     That Amana Ogohi Attah and Igala Community Elders Council should immediately retrieve from Garba Abubakar, the former Auditor to Igala Community, Kaduna, the books he used in auditing the last Igala Community audit because those books are Statutory Books of Igala Community, Kaduna.

11.     That henceforth any misunderstanding arising from individual, group or Chief (Onu) in Igala Community, Kaduna, it should be first of an be reported to the Elders’ Council instead of directly to the Police Station, Government Agencies, court etc.

We, members of this Peace Committee wish to express our profound gratitude and appreciation first and foremost to the Divisions that selected us and secondly Amana Ogohi Attah/Elders Council for giving us the opportunity to serve on this important Committee though lost one of our members.

PRINCE ABDULMALIK HARUNA                         ALHASSAN ATABO

CHAIRMAN                                                          SECRETARY

Signed.                                                                 Signed.

CHIEF (MR) BENJAMIN ADEJOH                          ALHAJI ABUBAKAR SADIQ

MEMBER                                                               MEMBER

Signed.                                                                

MR. PAUL LABIJA (LATE)                                     HAJIA MARIAM ISAH

MEMBER                                                               MEMBER

                                                                             Signed.

MALLAM ABUBAKAR WADA                                 MALLAM ISIAKA AMADE

MEMBER                                                               MEMBER

Signed.                                                                 Signed.