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Agana was suspended from office and later had his certificate of recognition withdrawn by the state government in July this year following his alleged refusal to submit assets of Enugu West traditional rulers council in his possession to a new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. On August 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.
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