Police Order Suspension of New Yam Festival in Mburubu Over Security Threat

The Enugu State Police Command has ordered the immediate suspension of a proposed New Yam Festival in Mburubu community, Nkanu East Local Government Area, citing serious security concerns and the potential for public disorder.

In an official letter titled “Security Threat in Mburubu Community” and dated October 31, 2025, the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, psc, directed that the event — reportedly organized and sponsored by Jerry Onuokaibe — be put on hold until further notice.

According to the letter, obtained from a reliable source, the decision followed “a careful perusal of your respective presentations and due consultation with His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Enugu State.” The correspondence cited a “likely breach of public order” and explained that the suspension would enable “the police and other appropriate authorities adequate time to find a lasting solution to the matter.”

Concerned Mburubu indegines said that the proposed festival was widely viewed as a deliberate provocation and a show of defiance by Onuokaibe, as Mburubu had already held its official annual New Yam Festival, known as Igba Aju, in August under the authority of the community’s recognized traditional leadership.

Authorities cautioned that any attempt to disregard the directive could attract enforcement action. The Enugu State Government and Police Command reaffirmed their joint commitment to maintaining peace, protecting cultural integrity, and upholding the rule of law across the state.

Members of the public were advised not to attend or participate in susceptible and unauthorized festival.

Community elders and the Mburubu Town Union accused Onuokaibe of using the event as a tool of self-assertion, despite being disqualified from the community’s traditional stool by a court ruling earlier in the year.

On February 12, 2025, the Enugu State High Court, presided over by Justice H. O. Ajah, delivered a landmark judgment declaring that Mr. Jerry Onuokaibe was not at any point elected as the Igwe of Mburubu. The court held that Onuokaibe had self-imposed himself as traditional ruler through the support of a “faceless group” known as the Mburubu General Assembly.

Justice Ajah clarified that, under Mburubu’s traditional constitution and order of seniority, the Igweship stool is reserved for individuals from Uhuegbe village, which holds the second position in the community’s lineage. Onuokaibe, who hails from Umunafor village — the fifth in order of seniority — was found constitutionally ineligible to contest or claim the throne. The judgment further restrained Onuokaibe and his supporters from parading him as the Igwe-elect or organizing any event implying traditional authority, warning that any breach would amount to contempt of court.

Also the High Court of Enugu State, Amagunze Judicial Division, on October 10, 2025, issued an interim injunction under Suit No. HAMA/24/2025, restraining Onuokaibe from organizing or celebrating any New Yam Festival as Igwe Elect.

“All parties, including the defendant, his agents, or any affiliated group, are hereby restrained from organizing, promoting, or celebrating the advertised New Yam Festival under any guise on November 1, 2025, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”

Despite these judgments and injunctions, Jerry Onuokaibe remained bent on organizing the festival, a move authorities say undermine judicial authority.