Residents of Nnobi community in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State turned out in large numbers to welcome their embattled President General, Barrister Dominic-Savio Okpala, following his release from the Onitsha Correctional Centre where he spent three days.
Okpala was taken on a tour of Afor Market and other key areas by his supporters after regaining freedom. He was earlier remanded for allegedly attempting to alter the community’s constitution without following due process. In an interview with ABS News, he accused certain members of the community, particularly from Awuda quarters and the Igwe-in-Council, of orchestrating what he called “Kangaroo justice” to remove him because of his refusal to work with what he described as a fraudulently created constitution.
Describing himself as a man committed to peace, Okpala urged the traditional leadership of the town to pursue reconciliation, adding that several efforts to achieve lasting peace in Nnobi had been frustrated in the past.
Dr. Mike Omenugha, a former President General who served between 2008 and 2011, recalled the challenges he faced while serving and expressed confusion over the insistence that Barrister Okpala should adopt a different constitution than the one under which he was sworn in back in 2021.
Other community leaders who spoke to ABS News, including Mr. Chinonso Ejikeme, Mr. Oluchukwu Ilogbenu, Chief Patrick Nwanyaku, and Mr. Afamefuna Otubelu (on behalf of the youth leadership), urged all parties to embrace peace for the overall development of Nnobi.
Barrister Okpala was earlier remanded after the presiding judge, Chief Magistrate Kenneth Nwoke, ruled that he showed no remorse for his actions. The court also issued an order barring him from convening any meetings or making further attempts to amend the town’s constitution.
