A bitter disagreement over a burial-site, on Friday, marred the burial of Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, the late son of a former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo.
Ifeanyichukwu, a commissioner during the administration of Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, died after a battle with cancer and his burial was scheduled for Friday.
The burial was supposed to be a major event that would attract dignitaries from all walks of life, considering Nwobodo’s antecedents.
However, even though the expected dignitaries turned out in their numbers, the burial was not able to hold as of the time of filing this report by 3:30 pm.
The development followed Nwobodo’s insistence that the late Ifeanyichukwu, who was his first son, must not be buried in his compound, a decision which was spiritedly objected to by the deceased younger brother, Chukwudi Nwobodo.
A grave meant for the internment was dug by a newly built bungalow, which Nwobodo was said to have built for that purpose after Ifeanyichukwu’s passage.
Ifeanyichukwu, like Chukwudi, was Nwobodo’s child from his estranged wife.
Nwobodo is currently living with his second wife.
Interestingly, as of the time of filing this report, Ifeanyichukwu’s corpse had not been made available for burial, even as disagreements over his final resting place continue.
Mourners were already seated in church for the burial service at St. Mathew’s Anglican Church, Amechi, Awkunanaw, Enugu, with the choir singing burial hymns, when it was discovered that the corpse was not even around.
It was gathered that Ifeanyichukwu’s siblings relocated the corpse from the mortuary to an unknown destination, in order to stop him from being buried outside their father’s compound.
Our correspondent, who was at the Nwobodo’s country home to witness the burial, observed that the youths and elders of the community opposed to the decision to bury the deceased outside his father’s compound.
A number of influential politicians, including Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, former Imo State governor, Achike Udenwa, and religious leaders, are involved in negotiations to resolve the impasse.
At the time of filing this report, the church leadership had proposed that Ifeanyichukwu would be buried in the church cemetary, which is beside Nwobodo’s compound.
Source: Punch
