By Charles Igbo
Imo State has, in the past few days, lost two prominent individuals.
Col. Lambert Ihenacho, both of the Biafran and Nigerian Army, passed on last Wednesday. And so did Hon. Justice Christy Anwuka.
Ihenacho, an alumni of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, retired from the Nigeria Army in 1990.
He was the last Biafran Army Commander of the then famous 63 Infantry Brigade which recaptured Owerri, in 1969, from the Nigerian Army during the Civil war which ended in 1970.
Since his retirement, Col Ihenacho had been living in Owerri, from where he was contributing to national and local discourse.
The cause of death has not yet been made public.
The Hon. Justice Christy Anwuka was, until her death, a Judge of the Customary Court of Appeal, Owerri. She had, also, acted as the President of the Court.
She was married to Professor Tony Anwuka, a former Minister for State, Education, during President Muhammadu Buhari’s first tenure.
An inlaw to former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, whose nominee to Buhari’s cabinet he was, Professor Anwuka was not reappointed during Buhari’s second coming.
His place was taken by Hon. Barr Emeka Nwajiuba, the current Minister of State, Education.
Awuka, a Professor of Education, was also a former Vice Chancellor of Imo State University, and a former Secretary to the Imo State Government.
Unconfirmed reports disclosed that Justice Anwuka died of an injury she sustained from a fall, in a domestic accident, during which she, allegedly, lost a tooth, which later got infected.
Speculation is that she passed on in the United States of America.
One of her sons, Uzoma, is married to Okorocha’s second daughter, Uju.
Since her passing, members of her family, members of the Imo State Judiciary, and members of her husband’s constituency, the Academia, have been inconsolable.
