The President General of the Ogwashi-Uku Development Association (ODA), Elder Izu Osammor, and one of the association’s trustees, Mr. Augustine Nwafor Ashi, have been remanded at the Federal Correctional Centre in Keffi, Nasarawa State following their arraignment for offences bordering on cyber bullying, criminal defamation, incitement of communal conflict, and the publication of false information.
According to law enforcement sources, the case stems from the ODA’s recent attempts to instigate communal unrest within Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom, through the release of false and inflammatory statements targeting the traditional institution of the community.
Investigators alleged that the group has been used as a platform to spread disinformation and provoke division among indigenes of the kingdom.
This development follows an ongoing trial involving three other ODA executives at the Federal High Court, Asaba, who are facing charges of terrorism, attempted murder, destruction of police property, and an attempt to forcefully dethrone the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku.
Their trial commenced last week with testimony from a senior police investigator, who reportedly confirmed that Mr. Mike Nwaukoni led an armed mob that attacked the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku at his palace in 2023.
Legal observers at the hearing described the testimony as “highly incriminating,” suggesting that the defendants — including Mazi Elue Adigwe, Barrister Francis Okolie, John Nwaona, and Mr. Ojo Izediunor — face the real prospect of life imprisonment if convicted. The trial is scheduled to continue in January 2026.
Community sources further alleged that the ODA’s current leadership, influenced by individuals sympathetic to the Izediunor family — which lost its claim to the Ogwashi-Uku throne at the Supreme Court of Nigeria — has turned the association into a political weapon against the Obi.
Their recent protest attempt, which reportedly failed to attract community support, and their circulation of defamatory statements are believed to have prompted the latest arrests.
Police sources in the Force Headquarters Abuja confirmed that both Osammor and Ashi have been formally charged to court, and detectives have expanded the investigation to trace the sources of funding behind the group’s activities and to apprehend additional collaborators linked to the offenses.
According to the source, the investigation was approved by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Law enforcement officials have reaffirmed that cyber bullying, false publication, and incitement of communal violence are serious federal crimes, warning that further arrests may follow as investigations deepen.
