The personal media aide to the Prince of Mburubu and Enugu State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Prince Lawrence Ezeh, has issued a strongly worded and uncompromising denunciation of Mr. Jerry Onuokaibe, who has been parading himself as the Igwe-elect of Mburubu community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The aide, Dr. Chidipeters Okorie, speaking to journalists in Enugu, described Onuokaibe’s actions in recent weeks as puerile, petty, and increasingly disruptive. He accused the self-styled Igwe-elect of orchestrating a series of contrived schemes intended to malign innocent youths, provoke communal tension, and undermine the Commissioner’s far-reaching developmental contributions in the area. According to him, the conduct of the self-imposed Igwe-elect has become “not merely provocative, but profoundly juvenile and reprehensible.”
Okorie told journalists that the latest episode, in which Onuokaibe mobilised and sponsored vulnerable youths with promises of lucrative appointments at Government House, Enugu, to storm the Mburubu Community Secondary School and destroy property, culminated in the vandalisation of what he falsely claimed were “over thirty” student lockers. However, the Principal of the school confirmed that only two lockers kept outside were broken. Available information further indicates that the individuals who invaded the school on Thursday night—after the term had already ended—were thugs hired from outside the community. All students’ lockers inside the classrooms remained intact and had been chained for safety by the students themselves.
Ironically, in an action Okorie described as both condescending and ignorant, Onuokaibe later invited the Principal to his house. “Inviting her for what? As what?” Okorie asked. “Is he the local government authority or the zonal education inspector?” He said the move further exposed the impersonator’s ignorance, stressing that education is not a janjaweed operation. The Principal had already reported the incident to the appropriate authorities, rendering Onuokaibe’s speculations and unverified media claims null and void.
What startled the residents even more, Okorie said, was the spurious allegation that followed, as Onuokaibe claimed that the vandals acted under instructions from the Honourable Commissioner, even though he himself had hired the thugs and was responsible for the destruction.
Describing the allegation as “astonishingly absurd,” Okorie said such a claim is untenable and defies any rational interpretation. He explained that the Commissioner currently sponsors sixty-nine students in the same school, from junior classes through senior secondary, and continues to fund those who have advanced to tertiary institutions across the country on comprehensive scholarships.
Okorie questioned how a man who has consistently demonstrated a genuine commitment to the intellectual development of his community could conceivably sabotage the same students. To him, the accusation is “a reflection of irrationality, malice, and an inexplicable disdain for truth.” He added that the allegation “collapses under the sheer weight of common sense and reason.”
He insisted that the incident fits into a broader pattern of contrivance linked to the impersonator. According to him, Onuokaibe appears to derive relevance not from authentic leadership or service, but from “manufacturing crises and perpetuating fabricated narratives.” He recalled an earlier episode in which the accused allegedly organised a fictitious protest, promising impoverished women and youths ₦5,000 each, only to pay them a mere ₦1,000 after they had posed before journalists.
Okorie further referred to a disturbing episode in which Onuokaibe reportedly accused several innocent Mburubu youths of being armed men and members of an outlawed organisation—allegations that led to their arrest. In a baffling twist, the same accuser later facilitated their bail. He said such inconsistency renders the allegations patently disingenuous.
“Armed bearing is a grave criminal offence,” Okorie said. “It rarely attracts immediate bail where credible evidence exists. The fact that he rushed to secure their release shows the claims were fictitious from the outset.” According to him, the youths were innocent and had been subjected to “a vindictive, malicious, and entirely unwarranted ordeal.”
He added that since a court order had already barred Onuokaibe from orchestrating further arrests of villagers on trumped-up charges, the impersonator now appears to be manufacturing new narratives to create fresh grounds for police action. Okorie alleged that Onuokaibe is attempting once again to connive with the Police Area Commander and SWAT to arrest and torture more community members, just as he did previously.
He maintained that Onuokaibe has continued to escalate tension in the community in what appears to be a desperate attempt to legitimise what he called a spurious and illegitimate claim to the Igwe-elect title. He stressed that according to both tradition and the law, no such title can exist without formal endorsement by the community and subsequent official recognition by the state government.
Okorie said the absence of these essential procedures renders Onuokaibe’s claim “null, void, and entirely pretentious,” adding that this illicit impersonation lies at the heart of the conflict destabilising the community.
He also said that Onuokaibe has repeatedly bragged that he would continue to cause unrest in Mburubu until Governor Peter Mbah appoints him as Igwe of the community—contrary to Mburubu’s established rotational order of seniority. According to Okorie, the impersonator boasts that he donated millions of naira to the Governor for the construction of a Smart Green School in his community, and now expects the Governor to “reciprocate” by installing him as Igwe of Mburubu.
To appreciate the outrage the allegations have generated, Okorie said it is crucial to consider the scale of Dr. Ezeh’s development initiatives in Mburubu. Over the years, the Commissioner has funded and asphalted a 4.9-kilometre internal road network—an undertaking many believe the government itself should have executed. He also maintained the Nara–Mburubu–Nomeh Road for years, grading it and repeatedly repairing its three bridges before the state government, under Governor Peter Mbah, officially reconstructed the route.
His interventions span religious, educational and economic spheres. He funded ninety per cent of the construction of the community’s magnificent Catholic Church and personally built a Redeemed Christian Church of God parish. He supports over sixty secondary school students annually, pays for WAEC and JAMB examinations, provides scholarships for university students nationwide, trains more than a hundred youths in vocational skills and employs many of them in his companies. He has also donated twelve shuttle buses to create sustainable livelihood opportunities and consistently provides financial support running into millions during festive seasons.
“These acts are not ostentatious displays,” Okorie maintained. “They are deliberate, humanitarian interventions aimed at alleviating poverty and establishing a more prosperous, self-sustaining community.”
He said it is therefore incredulous and “an egregious insult to logic” to allege that the same individual would sabotage schoolchildren by ordering the destruction of their lockers. He referred to such claims as “piggy behaviour that does not merit serious contemplation.”
Meanwhile, several residents say the unfolding saga has placed the community in a precarious position, caught between continued development and the threat of deliberate misinformation. Youth leaders have expressed exasperation over what they describe as persistent attempts to stigmatise young people. One such youth, Onyeabor Nnanna, said the constant portrayal of youths as criminals is “demoralising, unfair, and utterly exhausting.”
Community elders also warned that rising tensions, if left unaddressed, could escalate into a more serious crisis.
Political analysts observing the situation say the turmoil reflects a deeper struggle for relevance, social prestige, and symbolic authority, as traditional titles often confer influence in rural communities. They suggest that the prominence and goodwill enjoyed by Dr. Ezeh may be provoking resentment from individuals seeking recognition.
But Okorie said the matter is straightforward. He believes the community is confronting a man propelled by personal desperation rather than public interest. In one of his sternest remarks, he said, “Garbage begets garbage. Every falsehood emanating from the same source is inevitably tainted by the same lack of credibility.”
He urged residents to resist any attempt to manipulate them through fabricated narratives and to remain committed to peace, stability and communal progress.
Discussion about this post