By Patrick Ochei
An amputee retired teacher hospitalised at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Asaba, has thanked God for using the Vice President of Actors Guild of Nigeria, South-South Chapter and Ochor-Udo (Seeker of Peace) of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom, Hon. Chief Rita Daniels to come to her rescue at the hospital, stating that she saved her life.
Our Correspondent had sought to investigate a publication made by Ejesgist.com and other online posts claiming that Rita Daniels was grabbing land in Ogwashi-Uku, exhuming ancestral graves and using the influence of her son in-law, Prince Ned Nwoko to intimidate her victims.
However, at the hospital to verify the authenticity of the story from the woman in the eye of the storm; identified as Mrs. Ekwutoziam Felicia Okonji, she narrated an emotional story of her life and how Rita Daniels saved her from dying from a family spiritual attack and abandonment that led to the amputation of her left leg up to the knee cap.
According to her, “I just suddenly discovered a small injury on my toe which I treated and it was healed. I was surprised when my son drew my attention to flies perching on my leg, only to discover a big sore. I had no history of diabetes to suspect it might have been the cause. It became serious and I was rushed here to FMC.
“This is a tertiary health institution that requires huge fund to treat any serious ailment or go through surgery. I was told by the doctors that they would have to amputate the leg urgently. I am just a retired teacher awaiting my pension. I lost my husband long ago. I have two children; my son had graduated but no job while the girl is about rounding off with her National Youth Service Corps.
“None of my family members had even checked up on me, let alone helping me with the money needed for the surgery.
“My mother owned a house at Ogwashi-Uku which I inherited as the only surviving child of hers. She had marital issues earlier in marriage and so she returned to her father’s house. She was given a parcel of land by her family where she built her own house. I inherited the house as the only surviving child of my mother and had lived there for over 20 years now.
“It is this old house that I put up for sale to raise money for my surgery. What is the business of my cousins with the house belonging to me? They couldn’t give me the money that I needed to stay alive. Every buyer that came, priced it very low. I was devastated until I personally called Rita Daniels to come to my aid. She is my sister from the same village with my mother. She never planned to buy the house, but she had to immediately send the exact money I needed and paid for the property.
“I owe it to her that she saved my life. I was surprised to hear that my cousin, Christopher Okeibunor Awanyai started making trouble while she was working on the fence, claiming that it was an ancestral land where family members were buried. Nobody was buried there. My mother was buried at her husband’s place in Ibusa when she died, while my other cousin Maxwell and wife who were initially fighting over the property were buried at another plot of land behind.
“They should stop troubling innocent people who God used to save my life. Rita Daniels didn’t do anything wrong to help me out when I earnestly needed help to save my life. She is my saving grace; she is the reason I am living today by God’s grace”, she narrated.
Still eager to dig out more information, our Correspondent went to Ogwashi-Uku to see the house in contention. A family member identified as Chukwunweike affirmed that the house belonged to his grandmother and was inherited by the woman who decided to sell it at #2.7 million to foot her medical bills at the FMC Asaba.
Chukwunweike brought out documents to buttress his claim, indicating when the matter was handled by the elders of Ogbe Umuokwuni who demarcated the land with live plants when one Maxwell Awanyai, now late, a cousin to Madam Ekwutoziam was making trouble.
He went further to reveal that Maxwell and wife removed the live plants used as fence. He said the elders had earlier imposed fines on them after they were found guilty of trespass.
It was gathered that late Maxwell Awanyai’s elder brother, Mr. Christopher Okeibunor Awanyai who was a witness to what transpired earlier over the land, is the same person now stirring trouble.
The young man said they had even gone to Police and the Police dismissed the case, basing their verdict on the decision of the community.
Meanwhile, in her response to the allegation made on her person, Chief Rita Daniels said, she had no intention of buying any property around there, but was compelled to do so because life was involved, adding that the person concerned happened to be a well known peaceful aunt.
Her words,” It was a distress call from my aunt, Ekwutoziam and having known her as a peaceful and Godly woman, I had to come to her aid.
“It is wicked of anybody to now link me to a malicious family conspiracy, and making spurious allegations against me.
“I am the ‘Ochudo’ meaning the Seeker of Peace in Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom. It is evil to malign somebody at the turn of a new year. I am from Ogwashi-Uku and to an extent understand the customs and traditions of our people.
“You said you carried out your investigation on the property in question, did you see any grave in there? The property was fenced, what I did was to engage a mason to add more blocks to raise the fence.
“To begin to drag me and an innocent man, Prince Ned Nwoko out in the social media is gross wickedness, a devilish act I will not take lightly. I’m already consulting with my lawyers on the next step to take in this matter, so that the perpetrators of this false and malicious report will do more of explaining at the appropriate quarters”, she posited.
One Miss Joy Awanyai is believed to be the mastermind of the false social media report and all efforts to reach her proved abortive as she could not respond to series of messages.