Chief Ikeje Asogwa
SEVERAL years after her son was murdered, Mrs. Christiana Iyioke, has remained in a mournful mood. She had since the tragic event approached many relevant authorities to seek for justice, yet her efforts have not yielded any positive result.
In a petition she addressed to the Enugu state Police Brutality and Extra-Judicial Killings which came on board in 2020, following the ENDSARS protests across the country, Mrs. Iyioke alleged that her late son Chinweokwu Iyioke, was unlawfully executed by some police officers attached to Police Area Command, Nsukka.
Mrs. Iyioke who hails from one of the communities in Nsukka Senatorial Zone, Enugu state, further alleged that the operation was led by one Police Inspector, Sylvester Dumbiri, who according to her, was later transferred to Police Area Command Orba, in Udenu Local Government Area, of Enugu state.
In the petition which was listed as No. 43 in the Cause List prepared by the Police Brutality and Extra-Judicial Killings Panel, Mrs. Iyioke also accused Chief Ikeje Asogwa, Inspector Samuel Henshaw, and Emeka Nnamani, of complicity in the Extra-Judicial killing of her son.
The eight-member panel headed by Justice Kingsley Ude(retd), with Barrister Onichiengwu Obuna, as secretary, in accordance with it’s terms of reference and rules, invited Chief Asogwa and other accused persons to appear before it on November 23, 2020, to defend themselves, but while the other two accused persons honoured the invitation, Chief Asogwa was nowhere to be found, raising the question about his respect for the laws of the land.
However, he sent his lawyer, Emeka Asogwa, to represent him. And throughout the period the panel sat, Chief Asogwa bluntly refused to appear before it.
There is a groundswell of opinion that Chief Asogwa has a proclivity for violence, and therefore, not fit for any elective or appointive public office.
Not a few say that he harbours a compelling desire to harm, hurt, and openly humiliate others, especially those who work under him, as well as those who attempt even tangentially to expose his immoral and corrupt tendencies.
For instance, Mrs. Rose Chiamah, a former permanent secretary, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), has her bitter and painful story to tell.
A native of Nsukka, but married to an Ezeagu man in Enugu state, Mrs. Chiamah still lives in fear and trepidation following the crude treatment meted to her by Chief Asogwa who was then Executive Chairman ENSUBEB.
Recall that sometime during the then administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the Enugu State House of Assembly invited the duo of Asogwa and Chiamah to defend the annual budget of ENSUBEB, and while Asogwa was reportedly
incoherent in answering critical questions some legislators threw at him, Mrs. Chiamah answered the questions seamlessly. She allegedly went further to create the impression that the funds of ENSUBEB were being misapplied under Chief Asogwa’s watch.
Chief Asogwa was said to have been deeply displeased with Mrs. Chiamah over her presentation, especially the area that had to do with disbursement of ENSUBEB funds.
A source close to ENSUBEB, said Chief Asogwa locked up Mrs.Chiamah inside her office on her return from the State House of Assembly; put the key inside his pocket and walked away,
According to the source, it took the intervention of then Governor Ugwuanyi to get Chief Asogwa to unlock the office, paving the way for Mrs. Chiamah to regain her freedom.
Thereafter, the State government, sensing that Asogwa might subject the permanent secretary to further undesirable persecution, transferred her to the Ministry of Local Governnent Matters. She was succeeded by Mr. Onagu Ogbodo.
But it didn’t take long before Chief Asogwa descended heavily on Mr. Ogbodo who hails from the famous Nkanu Clan of Enugu state.
Apparently uncomfortable with Ogbodo’s insistence that due process should be followed in running the affairs of ENSUBEB, Asogwa one morning ordered police men attached to him to strip Ogbodo, and subsequently beat him mercilessly in the presence of ENSUBEB staff and visitors to the Board’s office located opposite WAEC bus stop, Independence Layout, Enugu.
Governor Ugwuanyi who was said to be outside Enugu, the state capital, on being informed about the incident, reportedly asked then Deputy Governor Barr. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, and two other senior government officials, to proceed immediately to ENSUBEB office to free Ogbodo from Asogwa’s stranglehold.
Interestingly several groups and organisations, including traditional rulers and opposition party chieftains, urged Governor Ugwuanyi to sack Asogwa for desecrating the public service by stripping and beating Ogbodo
Indeed, a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state, Dr. Ben Nwoye, urged Governor Ugwuanyi to prosecute Asogwa, arguing that Asogwa’s beastly behaviour portrays Enugu as harbouring and nurturing pugilists and hooligans, and lawless people. But Governor Ugwuanyi who assumed office in 2015, and left in 2023, on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), shielded Asogwa from any form of punishment.
Nevertheless, a window of opportunity to seek redress opened for the terribly dehumanized Ogbodo vide the Police Brutality and Extra-Judicial Killings Panel.
In an 11-page petition submitted to the panel through his lawyer Ifeanyi Okoli, Ogbodo alleged that on November 28, 2017, about four police men attached to Asogwa stripped and beat him to stupor inside ENSUBEB premises on the orders of then ENSUBEB boss(Asogwa).
Ogbodo demanded for a compensation to the tune of five hundred million Naira, as well as Asogwa’s dismissal from office.
Ogbodo’s petition was later scheduled for hearing on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, and when the matter was called up, counsel to then ENSUBEB boss Emeka Asogwa, informed the panel that both parties had commenced discussions on the amicable resolution of the matter through the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.
The Chairman of the panel Justice Kingsley Ude(retd), who welcomed the development, gave the two parties one week to settle their quarrel, and report back to the panel.
However, Chief Ikeje Asogwa reportedly failed to make himself available for the reconciliatory meeting put together by some good spirited individuals in the state.
And surprisingly, the panel could not proceed further on the case.
Though the panel submitted it’s report to former Governor Ugwuanyi, it’s not clear whether the then administration issued a White Paper on the findings and recommendations of the panel.
Today, Chief Asogwa walks the street with his shoulders high, while his alleged victims are still wallowing in sorrow, tears and pain.
Those close to him agree that the man (Asogwa), popularly known as SOGGIE-D, has used his ill-gotten wealth to transform himself into a ‘government within a government,’ to the extent that he is dreaded by every government in the state.
A multi- billionaire(whose wealth is not traceable to hard work,) Ikeje Asogwa was said to have used the occasion of his 50th birthday anniversary in 2018 to announce to the world that he had joined the billionaire club.
Though a public servant, Chief Asogwa reportedly hosted a lavish birthday celebration in Enugu that lasted for seven solid days.
Under former Governor Ugwuanyi’s watch, Chief Ikeje Asogwa allegedly hired almost all the prestigious hotels in the state, where his guests including men and women of questionable character stayed for those seven days enjoying food, wine and wassail.
Not a few agree that the people of Nsukka Senatorial Zone where the first indigenous university in Nigeria is located – a zone that had over the years produced highly educated and skilled men and women in various fields such as medicine, law, engineering, architecture etc. should not allow a man whose purported educational attainment is suspect, to represent them in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly.
Beyond that the Senate and by extension the National Assembly, is not home for drunken brutes, pugilists, lawless people, and therefore, the people of Nsukka Senatorial Zone are urged to reject Chief Ikeje Asogwa at the polls come June 20, 2026.
According to an Nsukka elder, “It’s even surprising that Dr. Ben Nwoye, currently the Deputy National Chairman of APC (South), who had earlier demanded for the prosecution of Chief Asogwa for assaulting a permanent secretary, looked the other side, and allowed the party in Enugu state to pick Asogwa as it’s candidate for this week’s Senatorial bye-election in Enugu North.Senatorial Zone.”
Augutine Akabueze, a Public Affairs Analyst, wrote from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory(FCT)
