The Judge of High Court [I], in Afikpo LG of Ebonyi State, Hon. Justice Vincent Nwanchor has warned of great legal sanctions against Mr. Joseph Mbe Chukwu and any other person found to be parading himself as Ezeogo Itim Autonomous Community, while the litigation on the truncated selection process subsists in his court.

Justice Nwanchor gave the stern warning during a sitting on the matter on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. This was when Mazi Michael Igbo esq, Counsel to the Plaintiff, Nze Okpani Nkama Jnr, drew the attention of the Judge to the brazen acts lawlessness of Mr Mbe Chukwu, who has been busy parading himself as Ezeogo elect and has openly been performing the perfunctory functions of an Ezeogo to the chagrin of the people.

Corroborating Mazi Igbo’s report, senior counsel, Barr. Ewa Agha Ewa, said evidence abound that the man had gone haywire in his lawlessness and desire to be recognised as Ezeogo. His desperation has so driven him to the point that he goes everywhere with certified traditional rulers of the LG, and has lately advanced his brazen breaches of the law with awards of Chieftaincy titles such as the one he gave to the Coordinator of Ubeyi Development Centre.

In an effort to water down the grave issues raised against their client, counsel to the defendants denied knowledge of the issues raised, saying that they have not seen Mr. Mbe Chukwu parading himself in any way. Barr. Ifanyichukwu Egwu particularly said that he was rather aware that by his dressing, Nze Okpani Nkama Jnr. was the one seen everywhere looking like an Ezeogo and addressed by the people as such, not their client.

In his stern reaction, Justice Nwanchor reminded the lawyers that he had no problems with anyone dressing in any manner he or she wishes or going about acknowledging obeissances and pretending he was Ezeogo when he knows he’s not. After all, “the hood does not make the monk,” the honourable justice enthused.

But the law, he said, has everything against anyone who undermines the court process and goes about doing things that amount to performing perfunctory functions of an Ezeogo when the matter is still subsisting.

He enjoined the lawyers to see the seriousness of the issue and the dire legal consequences thereof, and therefore charged them to advice the offending client to retrace his steps or reap the legal sanctions prescribed by the law for such acts of impunity.

Earlier, the motion on the rejoinder on the LG Chairman was debated, and the position of the court on that shall be known in the next sitting for the Ezeogo Itim case scheduled for 22nd July 2025.