The Mburubu community in Nkanu East Local Government Area has accused Prince Lawrence Ozoemena Ezeh, Enugu State Commissioner for Science and Technology, of orchestrating violent attacks against Igweship contender Engr. Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe.

Community leaders allege that Ezeh deployed youths armed with guns, police officers, DSS operatives, and hired thugs to harass Onuokaibe, his supporters, and family members. According to Chief Aniobi Vincent Okafor, a stakeholder in the Mburubu General Assembly, these actions have left several people injured and caused property destruction.

Okafor stated that between December 2023 and November 2025, Ezeh allegedly filed petitions accusing Onuokaibe and his supporters of drug trafficking, arms dealing, and terrorism. Prominent community members, including Hon. Obinna Okonkwo, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Njoku, and Hon. Azubike Njoku, were reportedly arrested and transported to Abuja during this period.

The most recent escalation occurred on November 1, 2025, during preparations for Onuokaibe’s iri ji (new yam) festival, when armed youths allegedly blocked roads and fired sporadically near his residence. Videos and photos obtained by Reporters show chaotic scenes and injured community members.

Okafor further claimed that one of the arrested suspects confessed to receiving weapons from Ezeh, while another accomplice supplied ammunition. Following intervention by community elders, the suspects were released, and Onuokaibe reportedly treated them with gifts and prayers as a gesture of peace.

The Mburubu community emphasized that their Igweship selection process is guided by the 1976 community constitution, which rejects hereditary succession and relies on selection by a majority of village elders. They called on Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah to uphold this tradition and prevent interference in the community’s established process.

Efforts to reach Commissioner Ezeh for comment were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to him went unanswered.