A combined photo of Senator Ned Nwoko and Omoyele Sowore
By Jimmy Enyeh
The national coordinator for the National Guide for Truth & Justice, Marcus Okafor, has taken a swipe at the publisher of Sahara Reporters for allegedly peddling fake news.
Okafor stated that Sowore has started re-enacting the same old lies he told more than two years ago — that Senator Ned Nwoko grabbed land in Idumuje-Ugboko and caused the murder of some persons.
Okafor stated in a document made available to NATIONAL WAVES that “As someone who has followed the trauma suffered by the 29 victims of the 2017 Idumuje-Ugboko mayhem, allegedly orchestrated by Prince Chukwunonso Nwoko, the current state-installed Obi of Idumuje-Ugboko, I am in a good position to correct this malicious falsehood against an illustrious son of the community.
The documents
“In 2015, Prince Ned Nwoko, now a Senator, applied for a 90-hectare piece of land to establish a Sports University in Idumuje-Ugboko. The then Obi of the community, HRM Albert Nwoko, consulted members of the land allocation committee. After a series of verifications and consultations with stakeholders from the four federating villages, the land was duly approved by the late Obi and allocated to Linas International Limited, a company owned by Ned Nwoko.
“The decision by Prince Ned Nwoko to establish the first Sports University in the community was celebrated by all, including Chukwunonso Nwoko and Gabriel Ogbechie, proprietor of RainOil.
“Trouble began when Chukwunonso started issuing orders from the royal palace while his father was still alive. Since two Obis cannot occupy the palace simultaneously,some chiefs, including the Iyase, Chukwuka Christopher Ogwu, and the Odogwu, Chief Sunday Edemodu, sought clarification. For their perceived effrontery, Chukwunonso clamped down on them and anyone believed to oppose his succession plans, even threatening to banish them.
Okafor further stated that “The death of Obi Albert Nwoko under mysterious circumstances on February 6, 2017, triggered a chain of events, including one of the most horrendous attacks on innocent people in the community who opposed the enthronement of Chukwunonso Nwoko.
“The savagery of the mayhem, which involved the importation of thugs and native doctors from outside the Idumuje-Ugboko kingdom, left 29 persons emotionally traumatised, with their houses destroyed or burnt. The Iyase, Chief Chukwuka Christopher Ogwu, and the Odogwu, Chief Sunday Odemodu, were brutally beaten and their houses and vehicles vandalised. Both men lived in poor health conditions thereafter; the Iyase recently passed away after being bedridden for nine years, while Sunday Odemodu has remained medically incapacitated for the same period.
The letter further read “The 2017 mayhem also resulted in two deaths — one immediate and the other remote. An innocent Benue-born motorcycle rider, Cyprian Kumuolu, was clubbed to death in front of Chukwunonso’s house on his orders. His body was allegedly mutilated, carted away in a wheelbarrow, and disposed of. To date, his remains have not been found, while his family has struggled for justice for nine years. Additionally, the former secretary of the land allocation committee, Kennedy Iloh, who was severely beaten and dragged on the ground to the palace on Chukwunonso’s orders, later died from the injuries inflicted by the thugs. Another victim, Ogbuefi Victor Omezi, narrowly escaped death but had his house destroyed and business equipment vandalised, eventually relocating abroad to find solace.
He added in that “Some of the perpetrators of the mayhem were arrested and charged with murder, arson, terrorism, and other offences at the Federal High Court, Abuja. However, without explanation, their trials were discontinued last year by the Attorney-General of the Federation. The current Delta State Attorney-General, Ekemejero Ohwovoriole, who served as Chukwunonso’s lawyer in the terrorism case, has allegedly used his office to obstruct justice. At one point, he reportedly attempted to transfer the case from Abuja to Delta State in order to enter a nolle prosequi and absolve the accused.
“This is the right time for the Federal Government to conclude the terrorism case for the benefit of the 2017 victims who have yet to receive justice. These are the criminals whom Sowore and his associates are celebrating today while ignoring the victims. Sowore has twisted facts to portray the oppressors as the oppressed and the victims as aggressors, an unacceptable inversion of reality. Incidentally, the same Sowore is scheduled for arraignment on November 20 at the Federal High Court in a criminal defamation case filed by Senator Ned Nwoko. When charges were first pressed two years ago, Sowore shamelessly denied being the publisher of Sahara Reporters. Investigations revealed that SR, which has no known office, is registered neither in Nigeria nor in the USA. He hides under a cloak of anonymity to intrude into private family issues that do not concern him.
“Some time ago, after the Idumuje-Ugboko mayhem, a young man known as Blessing visited Mount Ned, a government-approved tourist site, with his girlfriend. He entered the swimming pool without an instructor or guide and, unfortunately, drifted into the deepest part of the pool. He died before help arrived. Police were promptly notified, and he was taken to the Issele-Uku General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. After an investigation, the police released his body to the family for burial. Today, however, Sowore is falsely linking Senator Ned Nwoko to Blessing’s death. In the same vein, he is fabricating claims that Regina Daniels was privy to the deaths of Cyprian and Blessing. Regina Daniels was not in the picture at all. It is baffling how falsehood and character assassination have become Sowore’s stock-in-trade.
“Only recently, in September 2025, the Obi-designate of Idumuje-Ugboko, Solomon Eziokwubundu Nwabuokei Nwoko, on whose behalf the community has been in court challenging the illegal occupation of the throne, died under mysterious circumstances. Chukwunonso Nwoko and his cronies shamelessly celebrated his death for days, accompanied by traditional cannon firing.
Truth about Idumuje-Ugboko University land
Okafor continued “There is no iota of truth in the malicious, ill-informed stories being peddled by Sowore Omoyele about land grabbing in Idumuje-Ugboko by Ned Nwoko. These unverified claims originated from individuals such as Chris Aligbe and others, and were amplified by fugitive Azuka Jebose, who resides in the United States.
“A former Inspector General of Police commissioned an inquiry, and the IGP Monitoring Team produced a report that exonerated Ned Nwoko of any land-grabbing allegations. The complainants were subsequently charged with making false statements to public officers.
Senator Nwoko paid compensations running into hundreds of millions of naira to farmers from Idumuje-Ugboko and Onicha-Ugboko whose crops were affected by the land allocation. Police forensic analysis also confirmed that a letter purportedly signed by Obi Albert Nwoko was forged. In the resulting case before the Chief Magistrate Court in Asaba (Charge No. CMA/420c/2016), Chukwunonso Nwoko, Prince Ejimofor Nwoko, and Prince Richard Obiajulu Nwoko were convicted for forgery on March 8, 2024.
“Furthermore, a Delta State Government white paper exonerated Senator Nwoko after a detailed fact-finding mission led by the then Special Adviser on Conflict Resolution and Peace Building, Edwin Uzor. Former Aniocha North Council Chairman, Chuks Oseme, also issued a report clearing Nwoko of involvement in any land grabbing. It was Oseme who granted the Customary Right of Occupancy for the university land.
No court anywhere in Nigeria has ever investigated or convicted Ned Nwoko for land grabbing or murder. The stories circulated by Sowore and Sahara Reporters are libellous and ridiculous. Neither Sowore nor Jebose is from Idumuje-Ugboko, and it is doubtful whether Sowore has ever visited the community or even knows its location on the map.
“Senator Nwoko once sued Sowore, who was unable to prove his wild allegations. The renewed attacks suggest that Sowore might have been hired by Nwoko’s political opponents to tarnish his reputation. Yet, like a cat with nine lives, Senator Nwoko has consistently emerged untainted, with no court ever convicting him of wrongdoing.
“As a philanthropist devoted to humanitarian service, allegations of murder and land grabbing are completely inconsistent with Senator Nwoko’s character and integrity. While public figures are subject to scrutiny, recent claims by Sowore do not reflect Nwoko’s record or values. Instead of highlighting the Senator’s impactful bills and motions, Sahara Reporters prefers to dwell on rumours and character assassination.
They have not once acknowledged the Senator’s iconic representation of his constituents or the growing ANIOMA State movement. It is irresponsible journalism when the focus becomes a hate campaign. Disputes, political, civil, or personal, should be addressed through lawful channels, not media trials.
“The Idumuje-Ugboko University land issue has long been settled. The Sports University is now in its third year, with many former critics benefiting from it. The university’s success story has resonated globally. It is anachronistic for anyone to revisit the land issue four years after the NUC approved the university’s takeoff.
“What is on the lips of every ANIOMA son and daughter today is the creation of ANIOMA State, vigorously championed by Senator Ned Nwoko. Any attempt to distract him from this life-changing pursuit will be resisted by ANIOMA indigenes at home and in the diaspora. All ANIOMA people eagerly await 2027 to demonstrate their gratitude to Senator Nwoko, who, in less than three years in the Senate, has shown a remarkable capacity to transform the ANIOMA landscape from lethargy to dynamism and progress.”
