The Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof) Chike Edozien has stated that there is no community in Oshimili south that bears the name, Anwai. He said rather it is the river that flows across the road that is called Anwai and not any community.
Speaking to journalists at his palace, the Asagba of Asaba represented by Chief Patrick Ndili, who is the palace secretary, revealed that the very area erroneously referred to as Anwai community is all part of Asaba.
He also said the institution of higher learning situated in that part of Asaba is Dennis Osadebey University, Asaba and not Dennis Osadebey University, Anwai because there is no community called Anwai in the entire Oshimili South local government area of Delta state.
“There is no village, town or community called Anwai. Anwai is the name of the river that flows across the road. Dennis Osadebey University is in Asaba. Nobody is a native of Anwai. It is the river that is called Anwai and not any community.
“One Asaba red cap chief, Obi Elunor, has his house raided by the DSS. He hails from Asaba. Raiding his house does not equate raiding Asagba’s palace. Whatever was taken from his house has not been brought to the knowledge of His Royal Majesty. The report that the palace of Asagba was raided is untrue, baseless and a misrepresentation of the palace of Asagba of Asaba. There’s only Asagba of Asaba.
“The Asagba of Asaba was not aware of the raid of Obi Elunor’s house. He learnt about the raid from the newspaper when his attention was drawn to it. It was learnt that the said Obi Elunor paraded himself as Obi of Anwai but the Asagba of Asaba has interrogated him several times, he denied ever making such statements.”
This clarification, the monarch said, became necessary following a report published in a national daily where it was wrongly reported that operatives of Directorate of State Security (DSS) raided the palace of Asagba of Anwai last Monday.
According to HRM, there is no palace of Asagba of Anwai as reported in the newspaper. Again, no DSS raided the palace of Asagba of Asaba. He said the news report is false, libellous and targeted at ridiculing the Asaba kingdom and its people.
He said the community of Asaba has five traditional chiefs, noting that Elunor does rank in any of them. He warned that anyone who goes contrary to the law will be sanctioned.
He noted: “As a palace chief, if you are found wanting, fines will be placed on you. If you fail to be law abiding despite the fines, you are suspended and if you continue in behaviour unbecoming of a chief you can be derobed by Asagba of Asaba.”
Following the offending publication, the palace is insisting on a retraction of the story and a public apology from the national newspaper.
