The traditional ruler of Amandim-Olo autonomous community in
Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, His Majesty Hayford
Agana has attributed his recent ordeals to his support for the Deputy
Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
Agana, who had earlier been dethroned as a traditional ruler, was
arrested by the police for allegedly disrupting a government
programme.
However, speaking on Friday, the embattled monarch said he was
being persecuted because of his relationship with Ekweremadu.
Agana was suspended from office and later had his certificate of
recognition withdrawn by the state government in July this year
following his alleged refusal to submit assets of Enugu West
traditional rulers council in his possession to a new executive.
DailyPost leanrt that his arrest by policemen, who stormed his
residence as early as 7.00am followed a petition from the state
government accusing him of using thugs to disrupt a verification
exercise for a new traditional ruler for the community.
The Monarch was released several hours after his colleagues
numbering over thirty mobilized and stormed the police station in
protest over his arrest.
Speaking with newsmen in Enugu moments after he dropped his
passport with the police as part of his bail conditions, the monarch
denied mobilizing anybody to disrupt the verification exercise.
“They are bent on giving me a bad name. How can anybody say I mobilized
thugs to disrupt government programme? I never did it. OnAugust 20, we
heard that government was coming for a verification exercise for another
traditional ruler; the people mobilized and said no, that it was
injustice and that government should tell them why they want to
remove me. They carried placards to register their ill-feelings.
“At the end of the day, rather than listen to them, policemen they hired
to do the job, beat and tear-gassed several of them including old men
and women. That was what happened. I did not mobilize or influence
anybody to do any kind of protest against anybody. It is the people
that elected me and therefore, deserve to know why you want me
removed”, he said.
Enthroned in 2002 as the first monarch of his community, Agana said
his problem with government started last year when Senator
Ekweremadu gave him the gift of bus and one million naira for its
maintenance for his support to him.
He stated that though he had explained this much to the state
government when it was demanded how he got the bus and money,
government through the office of the Commissioner for Chieftaincy
Matters, Emeka Abugu had gone ahead to dissolve his leadership of
the Enugu West traditional rulers’ council where he had served as
chairman in the past few years.
Agana said Abugu had directed him to hand over the bus and money
to the new executive of traditional rulers’ council which he declined to
do, stressing that the development led to the withdrawal of his
certificate of recognition.
The embattled Monarch, who had taken the matter to court, is asking
the court to declare his purported removal as illegal and order his
restoration to office.
Abugu in a letter announcing the withdrawal of certificate of
recognition of the monarch said it was due to his refusal to comply
with government directives.
Government insists that Agana had since June 11 ceased to be the
traditional ruler of the community.