Eze Igbo: ICA FCT calls for arrest of impostors in South Africa

The Igbo Community Association, Federal Capital Territory (ICA FCT) has strongly condemned the reported attempted coronation of an Eze Igbo in South Africa, calling for the arrest of the impostors.

The association described the practice as an illegal affront to both host communities and established Igbo traditional institutions.

In a statement released on Monday, the leadership of the ICA FCT, under President General Engr. Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, expressed deep concern over the near-xenophobic reactions sparked by the event. 

While the Association denounced the hostile actions of protesters in South Africa, it equally blamed the organisers for bringing “continued embarrassment” to the totality of Igbos and Nigerians.

The association reminded the public that the South East Traditional Council had previously issued a communique outlawing the practice of enthralling Eze Igbo in foreign domains. 

This position was formally affirmed by Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Igbo people.

“It is wrong, illegal, and a direct violation of our customs to enthrone a king in another person’s domain,” the statement said, adding: “The leadership of the Igbo community in Abuja will not stand by while the actions of a few individuals in the diaspora jeopardise the safety and reputation of millions of our kinsmen globally.”

Citing past diplomatic frictions in Ghana and other regions, the ICA FCT urged Nigerian and international law enforcement agencies to intervene.

It said: “We are calling on security agencies to help stop the proliferation of these illegal coronations. 

“Any person parading himself as an ‘Ezeigbo’ in the diaspora should be arrested and prosecuted. 

“We must prevent a replication of the tensions seen in Ghana across other diaspora communities.”

The association emphasised that the dignity of the Igbo heritage must be preserved through respect for the laws of host nations and the directives of the traditional fathers back home in Nigeria’s South East.