Five Years After: Ikwo Youths Burn Commissioner’s Home, Banish Husband Over Cult Ties

It’s been five years since Elugwu Ettam village in Okpuitumo, Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State descended into chaos after angry youths razed down the home of Mr. Celestine Okah, husband to Ebonyi State’s then Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Late. Mrs. Wendy Uchechi-Okah.

The incident, which shook the political and security establishment in the state, began after Mr. Okah was accused by locals of allegedly sponsoring cult groups and kidnappers operating within the area.

Though he vehemently denied the claims, community elders summoned him to swear an oath of innocence—a traditional ritual common in the area. Mr. Okah, however, refused and chose instead to report the matter to the police.

His refusal was interpreted as guilt by enraged youths, who immediately descended on him. He was attacked, his house vandalized and set ablaze. The violence didn’t stop there. The mob also targeted another building belonging to a local resident whose child was named after the commissioner.

By the time security operatives arrived, Mr. Okah had narrowly escaped with his life, but the damage was done. The angry youths went further to banish him from the community, warning him never to return.

When the police, accompanied by the then state’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Border Peace and current Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Stanley Emegha, returned the next day, they met resistance. Community members had dug trenches to block the roads, effectively preventing access to the village. Emegha condemned the act, warning residents against taking laws into their hands and urging peaceful resolution of the crisis.

Late. Mrs. Wendy Okah, whose political profile was significantly affected by the scandal, declined to speak publicly on the matter. “I don’t want to make any comment for now,” she told reporters at the time.