A High Court sitting in Kano State stopped Ndigbo from performing the New Yam festival in the state.
This was due to a misunderstanding that ensued amongst the Igbos living in Kano State.
The New Yam Festival which was supposed to hold on Sunday was put on hold as the High Court issued an ex parte motion, stopping the activities until the hearing of the substantive motion before it.
The High Court, presided by Justice Farouk Lawan Adamu, restricted Mr Ikechukwu Oliver Akpudo (who has been parading himself as king of Ndigbo in Kano state) from organising, assembling people and celebrating the Iwaji or any festival that has to do with Ndigbo living in Kano.
“Order of interim injunction is hereby retraining the defendant (Akpudo), whether by himself, through any of his agents, servants, successors or privies, from presiding over, supervising, convening, assembling, summoning, celebrating, organising and partaking in a New Yam Festival (Iwaji Festival 2020) scheduled to hold on Sunday, September 27, 2020,” the court said.
Meanwhile, the Igbo traditional ruler in Kano, His Highness Igwe (Dr.) Boniface Ibekwe Ide I, Ezedioranma IV, has appreciate the high court’s verdict to stop Akpudo from his actions.
“The court had initially restrained Akpudo and asked him to pay me the sum of N2 million, as damages, for disturbing me on the throne. He has not paid the money, yet, he went ahead to invite people for an Igbo New Yam Festival.
“He also wrote letters to prominent Igbo personalities promising to give them chieftaincy titles during his purported event. So, I and my cabinet members, as law-abiding citizens, had to go to court to stop him.
“How can someone wakes up suddenly and begins to parade himself as my successor when I am still alive, still on the throne and performing my duties diligently as the authentic Eze Indigbo in Kano?,” Dr. Boniface who has been on the throne for 10 years queried.
The Igbo monarch appealed to the Igbos in Kano to be calm, that the New Yam Festival (Iwaji) will be celebrated at an appropriate time in accordance with the Igbo tradition
