The controversy surrounding the burial of Senator Ifeanyi Uba has yet to abate following report that his colleagues in the Senate abandoned him during the elaborate event in Anambra state.
Senator Uba who died in July in the United States, US, was flown home and had been buried amidst tears from close family friends that he was too young to die.
The burial comes despite a threat by some elements in the secessionist IPOB that the senator should not be buried in the state.
Reports however indicate that many senators and National assembly members who were supposed to show the distinguished lawmaker their last respect did attend the burial.
Uba, the chief Executive of capital Oil was until his demise the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream.
Reacting to the allegation, Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu said the hallowed chamber provided all the needed support for the late senator.
He described as untrue allegation that Uba was abandoned by his colleagues during the burial.
Senator Adaramodu said in a statement made available to journalists that the leadership of the Senate did all it could to support the burial, stating that it’s impossible for 109 senators to attend the burial.
The statement read, “The Nigerian Senate has described as untrue, the recent news circulating about the Senate, purportedly failing to play a role in the burial of its late colleague, Ifeanyi Ubah.
“Contrary to insinuations in some misinformed quarters, the Senate accorded Senator Ubah all honours and rites as a sitting member of the Senate before his burial in Nnewi on Friday.”
“For the first time in the history of the National Assembly a whole Legislative day was dedicated to paying Tributes to our departed colleague. His seat was adorned with the national flag which was huge honor and recognition of his contributions to the Senate and the good people he represented.
“The Nigerian Senate did not abandon the late Senator and his family right from the moment the news of his death became public knowledge news.
“In fact, the Senate commiserated with the people and government of Anambra State over his death.
“The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, it would be recalled, had immediately after the demise of our late colleague was made public, led a high powered delegation of some principal officers and members of the Senate to the Lagos residence of the late Senator to commiserate with his wife and children.
“Almost 100 Senators of the 109 members attended a valedictory session held in his honor, where senators including vice president Kashim Shettima paid tribute to his accomplishments as a, philanthropist, businessman and politician.
Speaking on why Senator Uba should not be buried in the state, in a viral video on WhatsApp, a middle aged man who did not identify himself, but signed off as “IPOB Eze” warned that bringing his body to his community, Nnewi, or any other part of Igboland for burial would attract severe consequences.
The spokesman of the Group identified himself with Simon Ekpa, the Finland-based self proclaimed Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s disciple but who has since been estranged from the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, a Group led by Kanu. Kanu, the IPOB Leader, has been in the captive of the Federal Government since 2021. The FG is prosecuting him for sundry issues including Treasonable felony, a charge the Court of Appeal has since discharged him of.
Giving reasons for why Ubah’s body must not be buried anywhere in Igboland, the person who spoke on the viral video alleged that it was Ubah that sold Nnamdi Kanu out to the Federal Government.
At the time of Kanu’s rendition from Nairobi in 2021, rumours were strong that Ubah not only sold him out, but that Ubah’s private jet was used to bring Kanu back to Nigeria.
However, it is an allegation since debunked by Ubah. He said he had no hands in Kanu’s fate and the aircraft used was not his. He said the false allegations were made against him by political enemies to ruin him before the Igbo.
Proof: Months before Ubah passed away, Mazi Kanu’s wife had acknowledged and appreciated Ubah for facilitating her visit to her to see her husband at his detention centre, a request she emphasized, denied her until Ubah weighed in.
But that effort by Ubah cut no ice with those who propagate the allegations against him. That belief certainly triggered the warning, allegedly by Ekpa’s Group that Ubah committed a sacrilege and must never be buried in Igboland.
The speaker warned that if Ubah’s body is brought back to Nnewi for burial, then, Nnewi will be reduced to something “worse than Orlu and Somali” security-wise. He also warned that if buried in Nnewi, his body would be exhumed and re-buried in an evil forest. He also warned Governor Chukwuma Soludo against burying Ubah’s body in Nnewi, and suggested that he be buried in the North or South-west part of the Country.
Following is the full text of the video.
“If Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is buried in Nnewi, Anambra State, Somali, Orlu in Imo state will be better than Nnewi.
“The Biafra Liberation Army will come after you all, and all of you will abandon your businesses in Nnewi, and Biafra will dig the grave of Ifeanyi Ubah and we take his body away and go and bury him in the evil forest, because he committed evil.
“He can never kidnap Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and you want to bury him in Biafra Land.
“His Excellency, Simon Ekpa, will do everything possible to destroy Nnewi. Biafra Liberation Army will do everything possible to destroy Nnewi.
“Let him be buried in the North or West, at least we are one Nigeria, we don’t want him in Biafra land.
“Share this voice message. I am not happy, am saying these things with anger; respect yourselves Nnewi people. Do your business in peace. Nobody is looking for your trouble, don’t look for the trouble of Biafra Liberation Army. Don’t look for the trouble of Biafra Government in exile.
“You are warned. Am one of Biafra Government. We don’t want Ifeanyi Ubah to be buried in Nnewi, because he destroyed Biafrans, he killed a lot. You committed a lot of atrocities not only in Nnewi, but also to Coscharis. He wanted to kill him, his own brother. He has committeed a lot of atrocities. He needs to answer it.
“Wherever he is buried, he must be chained for life.
“Nobody should bury Ifeanyi Ubah in Nnewi. Governor Soludo should be warned, he should be severely warned.
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