By Cecilia Ogezi
…Say attempt to hijack cooperative funds failed, motives traced to failed extortion bid after Prince Arthur Eze’s N50m donation
The President of Ohaneze Nd’Igbo FCT, Barrister Ifeanyichukwu Obasi Nweze, has reacted to recent claims circulating in the media, debunking allegations linking him and other executives of the Ohaneze Nd’Igbo FCT Abuja Chapter Cooperative Society Limited to financial misconduct and related activities.
In a press briefing held in Abuja, Nweze described the reports as false, malicious and a calculated attempt by four members—Engineer Prosper Okafor, Ken Nnamani, Nwaka Ifeanyi Martins and Aroh Micheal to hijack the cooperative’s leadership and funds through forgery, impersonation, and fraudulent claims.
According to him, the false narratives began when the said individuals secretly approached the UBA branch handling the account of the cooperative on March 14, 2025, to alter its mandate. “They misrepresented to the Director of Cooperatives at the FCTA that they had impeached the executives and trustees of the Ohaneze Nd’Igbo FCT Chapter for financial impropriety, falsely claiming support of 79 and 69 members respectively. This is false as our cooperative currently has a registered membership strength of 731,” Nweze explained.
He added that the group went as far as forging a court order to instigate investigations and possible arrest against him. Following this, he filed a direct criminal complaint against Prosper Okafor for forgery and criminal impersonation.
In what he described as a smear campaign, Nweze said they also submitted petitions to security agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), falsely alleging that the current leadership was ousted but refused to relinquish office.
Nweze stated that he has written a petition against Engineer Prosper Okafor, Ken Nnamani, Nwaka Ifeanyi Martins and Aroh Micheal for terrorism linkage and possible financing, Forgery, impersonation and mischievously trying to steal money belonging to Ohaneze Nd’Igbo.
He traced the genesis of the vendetta to the donation of N50 million by philanthropist Prince Arthur Eze during the Igbo Day Colloquium held in the FCT on September 29, 2024. N30 million of the donation was earmarked for the women and N20 million for the men.
As an agreement by the general assembly, 10% of such donations is allocated to the mobilizer, and another 10% to the organizing team. “Engineer Prosper Okafor, after introducing Zion Arthur Eze’s security personnel, demanded 40% of the donated funds. When I declined, citing the original intent of the donor, he insisted on 10%. I refused all overtures to compromise the integrity of our administration,” Nweze stated.
He further revealed that Prosper offered to introduce him to IPOB sponsors abroad under the guise of sourcing empowerment funds for the cooperative. “I rejected the suggestion outright, and since then, his actions have become increasingly desperate and destructive,” he added.
According to Nweze, the funds were disbursed as resolved by the general assembly. N5.1 million was given to Chief Marcel Ezenwa who facilitated Prince Eze’s presence, while 2M was proposed to be given to Zion for his claimed affiliation. About 400 members—300 women and 100 men/youth—have received cheques of at least N100,000, particularly empowering those who participated actively in the organizing committee.
He clarified that only one of the four accusers had formally registered with the cooperative, contributing a total of N20,000 over six months. “Membership of the cooperative comes with obligations, including a registration fee of N2,100 and active participation. None of them meets this requirement, All people of Igbo heritage can be members of Ohaneze Nd’Igbo but to be in the cooperative you would have met requirements as stated earlier and participate actively,” he said.
Nweze dismissed the so-called impeachment as invalid, noting that only two-third of executives can impeach another executive as per the cooperative’s bylaws.
General Secretary, Chief Ezenwa Marcel, confirmed that he personally brought Prince Arthur Eze to the event through the intervention of Elder Council Chairman, Sir Mike Okiro, a respected former IGP, who has played a fatherly role in guiding the cooperative’s affairs.
Also speaking, Vice Women Leader, Hon. Chinyere Ezenwokike, lamented that Prosper is not a member of the cooperative, explaining further she said she went to the Cooperative Office at FCTA to get the documents to ensure proper documentation of members and Prosper was not on the list. She added that she made effort for the cooperative to be registered to empower members especially women who were struggling in business. She reiterated that her vast knowledge in handling the registration of cooperatives through years of running her NGO enable her to take the necessary steps in documentation. She concluded by saying Prosper was never officially appointed in any position.
Vice President, Delta State, Mr. Mike Oditta, revealed that the matter is already in court and that more legal actions are being taken as allegations against the Excos amount to defamation of character “Despite Sir Mike Okiro’s peace meeting, Prosper rushed to the police two days later and laid baseless allegations. But since we have nothing to hide, we submitted all necessary evidence through our legal team,” he added.
The Igbo Community Assembly’s FCT representative, Mr. Charles Udebe, stressed that the group of four does not belong to any of the 56 recognized units of the Assembly, further invalidating their purported authority to act on behalf of the body.
On behalf of the youth, Acting Youth Leader, Ndubisi Osamor, reaffirmed their loyalty to Barr. Nweze and disassociated from Prosper Okafor’s actions.
Meanwhile, in a phone interview with Capital Watch Media, Engineer Prosper Okafor insisted that the executive members were impeached on February 22, 2025. He claimed the matter was in court and that a court order currently restrains withdrawals from the cooperative account. He alleged that over N18 million had been withdrawn by the current leadership, but failed to provide concrete documentation when requested.
As legal proceedings unfold, Ohaneze Nd’Igbo FCT executives reaffirmed their commitment to transparency and the economic empowerment of their members. They called on the public and media to disregard any defamatory publication aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the group’s leadership.
