Revelations have emerged on how Ubulu-Uku people in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta state allegedly contradicted their customs and tradition in the installation of their new King.
The findings followed the crowning of the 17-year-old eldest son of the late monarch, Obi Akaeze Edward Ofulue III, who is reportedly not a full blooded Ubulu-Uku Prince.
According to Thewill, it was gathered that the Ubulu-Uku customs and tradition forbid the crowning of a Prince whose mother is not an Ubulu-Uku indigene no matter the circumstances.
It revealed that Prince Chukwuka Noel Akaeze 1, who was few days ago crowned as the new Obi of UbuluUku, was birthed to the late monarch by a Guinean woman and going by the traditional, norms and custom of the Ubulu-Uku people, he cannot inherit the throne.
The late monarch, HRM Akaeze Edward Ofulue III, who was allegedly killed in a questionable circumstance by Fulani herdsmen, was reportedly crowned in his days following a similar circumstance.
His brother, who was the eldest son of their father, was mothered by an Irish woman and following the tradition, Akaeze Edward Ofulue III was crowned in his place.
But the traditional title holder of ‘Oniche’, Chief Emma Ejiofor, who crowns any King in the Kingdom, had favoured the candidature of the eldest son, said to be a half-caste.
Following the development, Chief Ejiofor, who is a one-time Deputy Chief of Staff to former Deputy Governor, Sir Benjamin Elue, and had allegedly declared the late monarch a sworn enemy, reluctantly crowned him and throughout his reign as the king, both men remained at loggerhead.
A source revealed that when the late monarch was kidnapped and subsequently killed, some people from the Kingdom had allegedly pointed accusing fingers at Ejiofor and others because they had always stood against his reign.
With the present arrangement, our source, a community chief who preferred anonymity, said that the Ubulu-Uku people have committed sacrilege by crowning Prince Chukwuka Noel Akaeze 1, who is also a half-caste, thus throwing up the stool to litigation.
“In our kingdom, a half-caste is not crowned as a King, no matter the circumstances. Our people forget history so soon. Our murdered King, HRM Akaeze Edward Ofulue III, was not the eldest son to his father.
“The eldest son who was supposed to have been crowned was rejected according to our traditions and customs because he is a half caste; his mother is an Irish woman, which is against the norms and customs of our land.
“Based on that, our late King, HRM Akaeze Edward Ofulue III was crowned as the King of Ubulu-Uku.
“Now that HRM Akaeze Edward OfulueIII, was killed by his abductors, why installing his half-caste eldest son whose mother is from Guinea and we know we don’t install half-caste as our King which is against the custom of the land?
“We cried out and warned against it because of the imminent crisis that will follow but the people wouldn’t listen. What is good for the goose should also be good for the gander,” a community chief added.
Sources fear that Ubulu-Uku Kingdom is sitting on the keg of gun power now with the development which is already generating ripples in the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Delta state Governor, DrIfeanyiOkowa, unaware of the development, had awarded a scholarship to the new Ubulu-Uku King, HRM Chukwuka Noel Akaeze 1, who is based in England with his mother and other siblings.
The Governor, it was learnt had given the new King scholarship to enable him complete his education in the United Kingdom (UK) from his Rochester Grammar School, Kent in England to the university level.
“We want to encourage you to know that as you study, you have your people back home that you would have to administer their culture and customs as their royal father and we hope that soon, you will be through with your studies and bring your experience to bear on the administration of your Kingdom,” Okowa said during a courtesy visit on him by the new and youngest King in the state.
Meanwhile, the member representing Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Mrs. OnyemaechiMrakpor has frowned at the way and manner the Delta state police command was handling investigations into the killing of the late Ubulu-Uku monarch.
The Federal lawmaker, who is an indigene of Ubulu-Uku, was said to have berated the state police commissioner, Mr. Alkali Baba Usman for deceiving the people of Ubulu-Uku and Deltans by parading those who bought the mobile phone of the murdered king as the kidnappers and killers of the king.
Mrs. Mrakpor, it was learnt, observed that apart from one person out of the six persons hurriedly paraded by the police boss, the rest five had no connection to the kidnap and killing of her kingdom’s king and therefore challenged the commissioner of police to fish out the core culprits who perpetrated the dastardly act.
