The Edeaniagu clan in Ishi-Ozalla Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State has decried a move to rewrite its history by the author of a recently published compendium on Enugu state.

The community accused the author of a piece of work titled: “The Encyclopedia of The Coal City Enugu,100 years [1909-2009]: The Mother Capital of Eastern Nigeria,” Chibuzor Agbo, as being mischievous, stressing that his work on the community contained information capable of misleading the public, especially the younger generations.

The community insisted that the book should not be considered credible as it contains misrepresentations of the people’s history and sacrilegious terms such as “slave,” which should not have been used in the context it was repeatedly applied.

Community spokesperson, Professor Muna Nweke Okoye, clarified that contrary to claims in the book, Edeaniagu was not Onwude, but his father.

She noted that Edeaniagu was the clan head in charge of culture and tradition before the arrival of colonial masters and that his house was where they were directed.

Okoye said: “Edeaniagu was the old man, the Clan head who was in charge of our culture and tradition before the arrival of the colonial masters. When they came, Edeaniagu’s house was where they were directed to.

“He was far older than Ani Nwangwu. Even Onwude, the son of Edeaniagu, was older than Chukwuani, the son of Ani Nwangwu. How come you are the owner of the house and when the colonial masters came they didn’t go to your house? Edeanigu was going to meetings called by the colonial masters in Udi before he handed over to his son Onwude when he noticed that his strength could no longer carry him as an old man

“One day, when Onwude was returning from such meetings at Udi he encountered a large animal [Lion] that gave birth and Onwude took the baby lion home. When his father Edeanigu saw what happened he was scared that something might happen to Onwude being the only son and he stopped him from going to Udi for the meetings again. When he thought of a courageous young man who could do what the white men wanted, the name of his friend’s son Chukwuani came to his mind. He then sent for Chukwuani, sanctified him over the sacrilegious crime on his head and handed him over to the colonial masters, and they made him Warrant Chief”

She stated that it was after the incident that Onwude gave birth to a son whom he named Odikenwudeagu who happened to be her own grandfather.

She challenged the legitimacy of Chukwuani’s claims and questioned his lack of property in Ishi-Ozalla. She stressed that any attempt to unlawfully confiscate Edeaniagu clan property would be resisted.

“So what they are writing about in the book is not true. How come Chukwuani has no landed property in Ishi-Ozalla? The compound where he lived was given to him by Edeaniagu and Edeaniagu was the twelfth generation before the Colonial Masters came. How come your servant was living at the centre of the community and had landed property more than you? This was despite the number of years he ruled as Warrant Chief. The name of Chukwuani’s father is Ani, it was Edeaniagu that gave him the name, Nwangwu and Ngwu is the place my people are living now. It was when Edeaniagu became so old that he allowed his adopted son, Ani Nwangwu to be helping him in serving the Ngwu and that was how Ani Nwangwu came close to such revered position.

“As I speak now, as the Ufam Ozalla, I can see the faces of these peaceful great men of Amaigbo Ishi-Ozalla, Edeanigu and his son Onwude regretting accepting Ani Nwangwu in their Community but the good news is that they are ready to mount the throne of justice very soon,” she said

Okoye, who gave a further history of her people, stated that they were great farmers but didn’t embrace Western education on time, stressing that their history was being distorted on account of this.

“These people knew the history but decided to turn it upside down. Some families came from Obioma, Okpatu in Udi Local Government, while some came from Ekwukwo Utu, Ituku, Akegbe and today, they pay allegiance to those communities as their ancestral homes. Just recently, when a top government official did something at Okpatu, they went in solidarity. Are they saying that when they came, that Ishi-ozalla was a virgin land without people living there? The answer is no. They met people and these were my ancestors. So, why change history? We have different means of ascertaining the truth in Igbo land and I have challenged them on several occasions to come out with their feet on the ground and raise sand to the sun and say that Edeanigu was the servant of Ani Nwangwu or Chukwuani his son.”

Making reference to another post by Willy Chukwuani on how people migrated from different places, Okoye stated that their original habitat at Okpatu was barren and more desert-like, adding that farming needs and hunting triggered the desire of their progenitors to wander into these vast lands laced with spring streams emanating from the Udi Hills and available hunting grounds for both meat and human commodities to fuel the Colonial TransAtlantic trade of the time.

She warned that the plan to unlawfully confiscate property belonging to the Edeaniagu Clan would be resisted and encouraged her people to remain resilient despite the intimidation and harassment they are being faced with.