The lingering tussle over who occupies the vacant traditional stool in Mburubu Kingdom, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State has taken a new dimension. This is as a High Court sitting in the state has ordered Chief Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe to stop parading himself as the Igwe-elect of the community.

The order was sequel to a motion ex parte brought before Justice J.I.C Okibe by six plaintiffs through their lawyer, Barr Ike Ozor.

Justice Okibe ordered other defendants/respondents- Arch Chijioke Nwachukwu and Obinna Okonkwo, representing Mburubu General Assembly, their agents or any other person to stop claiming or parading Onuokaibe as the Igwe-elect of Mburubu Town pending the determination of the ex parte motion.
The plaintiffs had through a motion ex parte sought an order of interim injunction restraining the 3rd defendant (Onuokaibe), “from parading himself or holding out himself as the Igwe-elect of Mburubu Town and the 1 and 2 defendants or any other person or group from Mburubu Town from addressing or referring to the defendant as Igwe-elect of Mburub Town pending the determination of the motion on notice filed along with the application.”

In a ruling, the judge held that: “the motion ex parte is granted as prayed.
That Order of Interim Injunction is hereby granted restraining the 3rd Defendant from parading himself or holding out himself as the Igwe-elect of Mburubu Town and the 1st and 2nd Defendants or any other person or group from Mburubu Town from addressing or referring to the Defendant as Igwe-elect of Mburubu Town pending the determination of motion on notice filed along with this application.”

It would be recalled that penultimate, residents of Mburubu Community erupted in anger and protested against the alleged plan to impose a man on the community as monarch

The protesters warned that any attempt by Mburubu General Assembly to subvert the Mburubu Town Union Constitution and impose a monarch against their wish will be resisted and could lead to crisis in the community.

They also claimed that the embattled Onuokaibe was been imposed by an ‘uncertified’, illegal group in the community.