By NewsCritic Reporters
The paramount ruler of Abiriba Kingdom and the Enachioken of Abiriba, HRM Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu has spoken on the recent incident at the Do-Good Farms Abiriba with the attendant threat to the peace and security of his kingdom. According to the traditional ruler everything has been brought under control as the community awaits the report of the Police investigations to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of Joseph Urum at a hospital in Mbaise after undergoing surgical session.
NewsCritic online reports that the peace of the Abiriba community in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State was threatened when the family of late Joseph Urum, a staff of Do-Good Farms Abiriba claimed that the death of their son, who reportedly fell sick while at work on 24th February, 2024 and died two days later at a hospital in Mbaise was not natural.
They went further to allege that there is strong suspicion that the vital organs of the deceased were harvested, an allegation that almost set Abiriba on fire if not for the quick intervention of the Enachioken-in- council, who invited the Police and the co-workers who reportedly helped to take the deceased to Abiriba medical complex that night from where they were referred to the federal medical centre Umuahia, were all arrested and now helping the Police in its investigations.
In an interview with NewsCritic online at his Abiriba law office, the Enachioken recalled how the matter came to his knowledge, which prompted him to call for an emergency meeting of the council and invited all the parties concerned.
According to Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu, the relatives of the deceased told the Enachioken-in-council that their brother died in circumstances that were not clear to them. He said that they raised a lot of issues about the hospital where the deceased was said to had been operated in, and that there were so many questions that needed to be answered. The exact spot that the operation was done in his body, which they claimed was on the side not on his stomach”.
“So, they were of the opinion that their brother’s vital organs might have been harvested, that there is no way they would take a patient from Abiriba, passed all the hospitals and went inside that village to do surgery. That there must be something wrong…that was the opinion of the deceased family, he said.
The revered traditional ruler stated that when it got to the turn of the other parties, they started telling stories that were not adding up. “So many stories I didn’t understand, I just invited the Police and handed it over to them to go and investigate to let the community know which side to follow.
He emphasised that by that time tension was already rising in the community, and people were still thinking of going to burn down the business premises where the deceased worked. I felt it wasn’t proper because you can’t burn down a place based on allegation, when we don’t know the facts. The Police will unravel the facts”.
“In the interim I advised they go and put palm fronds in the business premises and the reason is to allow partial operations because we learnt there were animals in the farm. If there were none, we would have locked up the place. So, as it is now the matter is with the Police, I know it has escalated to state CID.
In his answer to the question about the rumour making rounds that the family of the deceased are planning to bury their dead in the farm to use it as a hold to possess the premises, the Enachioke remarked that he doesn’t speak to rumours.
He said that if for any reason there should be anything like that “the family will come to the palace. “Let’s wait on the Police to give us the final verdict in the matter then we will now be in position to call them back again and advise them on what to do. So, the idea of burying him there or not bury him there hasn’t even arisen.
“ I told them I want justice for the young man that is dead, I also want justice for the farm and owners of the farm. Whoever is at fault will address the fault…in all cases we don’t want another person to die. We will continue to do the best we can to ensure there is peace in the community, Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu promises.
