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The people of Oraifite community in Ekwusigo Local Government of Anambra State have sent a warning to Ifeanyi Ejiofor who is the lawyer to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to desist from fuelling insecurity in the area.
President General of the community, Sir Vin Dike, who addressed reporters at Oraifite Civic Centre on behalf of the town, urged Ejiofor, one of their kinsmen, to return home and assist the community to restore peace and tranquility it had enjoyed over the years.
Dike refuted Ejiofor’s alleged assassination plot against him by Sir Emeka Offor, a businessman and kinsman.
The Eastern Updates recalls that Ejiofor had last week raised the alarm over Offor’s plan to kill him, using one of his relatives.
Ejiofor, in a statement titled: ‘Plot to assassinate me leaked’, told Nigerians and security agencies that the threat, which he described as real, should not be treated with kid gloves.
But speaking to reporters after a meeting with leaders and stakeholders in the area, Dike described Offor as God’s gift to the community, saying it was an aberration for him to kill one of his philanthropic beneficiaries.
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He said: “I’m sure you’ve read the assassination allegations trending on social media. Just yesterday, there was a report that he has written a petition to the IG, governor and others that Emeka Offor has been trying to kill him.
“It may shock you to know that Ejiofor is a beneficiary of Emeka Offor’s free education. That’s something you don’t read in the papers. Ejiofor, on completing his high school, was picked up by Emeka Offor Foundation.
“All through his university years, up to Law School and NYSC, Emeka Offor took care of him. He didn’t only pull him out from somewhere in the North he was posted to and reposted him to Abuja, he was also placed in one of the most respected law firms in Nigeria.
“He won’t tell you that after God, and maybe his parents, the next person on his lips at all times will be Emeka Offor for training him and making him a lawyer he is today. Of course, Emeka Offor doesn’t even remember that he trained him.
“Yet what you read in the news about Oraifite is always negative – assassination, kidnapping, murder. But there’s this human side of our community which Emeka Offor represents. He assists everyone regardless of who you are.
“Emeka Offor is God-sent to Oraifite. If I say in the next world, he’ll come to Oraifite, this will not be an overstatement. In other words, if there’s reincarnation, our prayer is that he’ll come back to Oraifite because nobody has blessed this town in the history of this town than Emeka Offor.
“Unfortunately, the same person made by Emeka Offor is busy tarnishing his image and at the same time encouraging insecurity and criminality in this community.
“We’re begging him to stop and return home so we can appease the gods. Oraifite is a peaceful community, with kind and loving people, including Emeka Offor. But he’s running from his shadows. Truth is that a man can’t outrun his shadows.
“We’ve not taken any decision on him yet because we want the law to take its course. Meanwhile, Emeka Offor has not lost sleep as far as Ejiofor’s threats are concerned.”
The traditional ruler of Oraifite, Igwe Dan Udorji, said his community is blessed with people of peace, including Emeka Offor, who he described as the best thing that had happened to the town, state and Nigeria.
He, however, regretted the ingratitude disposition of some members of his community to Offor’s benevolence, calling on all and sundry to defend him from all forms of attack.
“It’s not only when we need him that we run to him. But when he’s in trouble, and under attack, we should rally round him. This is the least we can do for him because we can’t reward him for his philanthropy,” he said.
Ejiofor dismissed the accusations against him.
He described his accusers as Emeka Offor’s puppets, who he handpicked for his selfish interests and personal bidding, insisting they did not represent the voice of Oraifite community.
He said no criminal record could be associated with his name in Oraifite and elsewhere, adding that his offence was his effrontery to challenge “Offor’s atrocious acts” in the community.
Saying he had petitioned Inspector General of Police, DSS and Army headquarters over the attacks and consistent threats to his life, Ejiofor, however, regretted that nothing had been done about his complaints.
