Essential Ndubuisi
By Daniel Ezeigwe
On Monday, 19th April, 2019, Enugwu-Ukwu Community woke up to a false and malicious publication by Thisday Newspaper, which stated that some persons had entered the Community hunting for Albinos for ritual purposes. The story also appeared in the online version of the tabloid. This according to the report caused mass exodus of albinos from the Community to save their lives. The reporter allegedly interviewed some albinos from the Community who corroborated the story. One of the persons allegedly interviewed was the Financial Secretary of Enugwu-Ukwu Community Development Union (ECDU), Mr. Chukwuezugo Akaigwe, also known as Biggers who is an albino. Ever since this publication, a lot of concerned Enugwu-Ukwu Patriots both at home and in diaspora have been making calls to the leadership of the Community about the true state of affairs.
Consequent upon the above, on Thursday, 22 April, 2021, an emergency meeting of the representatives of ECDU Central, ECDU branches, villages, women and youths was summoned at the Palace of Eze Enugwu-Ukwu na Igwe Umunri, Sir Ralph Obumnaemeh Ekpeh, to take a decisive action on this malicious and libelious publication from Thisday, debunk it and take other actions.
Also in attendance were the Eze Enugwu-Ukwu na Igwe Umunri, HRM Igwe Sir Ralph Obumnemeh Ekpeh, the President General (PG) of the Community, Comrade Bonny Ozo Nkwuaku, some albinos from Enugwu-Ukwu including Mr. Chukwuezugo Akaigwe and some press men.
At the meeting, several speakers condemned the action of Thisday Newspapers in ridiculing the Community by such malicious report. Mr. Chukwuezugo Akaigwe, one of the albinos mentioned in the report denied ever granting any interview to anybody or any media house in the past 2 years. He lambasted the media house for such unprofessional conduct and for deliberate attempt to malign his name. Other albinos present said that they have never been discriminated against by anybody either within or outside the Community.
Going down memory lane, HRM Igwe Sir Ralph Ekpeh told the gathering that even before the coming of Christianity, Nri had abolished certain discriminatory practices like killing of twins and albinos and wondered why any journalist in his right thinking senses could put up this kind of story.
Finally, the Community called on Thisday Newspaper to retract the story within 48 hours and apologize to Enugwu-Ukwu Community or face legal actions.
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