Investigation: Deity as last resort to reclaim football debt in Anambra State

Investigation: Deity as last resort to reclaim football debt in Anambra State

By Amaechi Agbo

According to the 2006 census, Anambra State is the eight-most populous state in Nigeria with a population figure of 4, 177, 828.

Anambra State has produced prominent personalities in all spheres of lives in Nigeria with acclaimed individuals such as Chinua Achebe, Emeka Ayaoku, Alex Ekweme, among others, in the forefront.

In terms of religion, they are very devotional to the God or god they worship. And this was attested to by the fact that the state produced the first Blessed priest (Blessed Michael Iwene Tansi), who is awaiting canonisation as a saint by the Catholic Church. Anambra is also regarded as the head of the Catholic Church in the eastern region of the country with a large number of the population professing Catholicism.

In football, Anambra State, styled the Light of the Nation, has produced notable players for the national team, Super Eagles. Emmauel Okala, a foremost goalkeeper, who played for the Super Eagles from 1972 to 1980 was born in Onitsha. He made 59 appearances for the team. Sylvanus Okapala, a midfielder in his heydays, who played for the Super Eagles and made 45 appearances between 1979 and 1988, was born in Anambra state.

Other Super Eagles players from the state include Emmanuel Emenike who hails from Otuocha, Carl Ikeme (former goalkeeper), Daniel Akpeyi current Super Eagles goalkeeper hails from Nnewi one of the most popular cities in the state. The lists are plenty.

When it comes to grassroots football clubs, Anambra has over 60 clubs that discover and nurture talents in the state. Some of the Clubs in the state include Jasper United, Obosi United, Jimbaz FC, Nnewi United, Ifeanyi Ubah FC, among others.

Consequently, while the clubs are battling to outwit one another in competitions, players are also in hot contest to be the best among the rest. It is no doubt that Anambra State is filled with football talents, so many of them. A lot of them desire to make career in football, hence the urge to go abroad and play professional football becomes intent.

Unfortunately to these young players, they lacked personal profiling in terms of video play, hence getting clubs for them abroad or even outside the shores of the country becomes a herculean venture.

Players therefore pay money to agents, some genuine and others fraudsters for them to facilitate their going abroad to play football. Millions of naira exchange hands in this regard. Some of these promises are less often than not fulfilled, others will fall through particularly ones orchestrated by dubious agents. Sometimes the intending players become victorious other times they become victims; twist of fate.

In 2017, Okechukwu Aninweze paid the sum of N1.6 million to Olisa Onuchukwu, Chairman, Nnewi United FC on behalf of Chinweije Nwachukau (aka Remires) to help secure an European club for the latter. Remires played for Obosi United before he joined Nnewi United.

Along the line, the abroad connection could not materialise or delayed beyond what the player could endure, hence the clamour for the refund of the cash.

Investigation by Bestchoicesports, shows that the N1.6 million was paid but the target was not met, thus the demand for the refund of the money.

But after what seemed like eternity and the refund was not forthcoming, Okechukwu took the matter to next level by involving an Arusi – a deity - in one of the communities.

In a chat with Bestchoicesports, he declined comments on the matter because according to him, the people at the deity have directed him not to talk about the matter again.

In his words, “I don’t have any issue with Olisa again because I have reported him to the Arusi in his maternal home. I have reported him to a shrine, so I don’t have any problems with Olisa again. They gave me authority not to talk about Olisa again. I have reported him to an Arusi already. The Arusi people said I should not talk about the matter again that it is now in their hands. Olisa will pay the money to them.

“If he fails to pay it, that is his cup of tea. The mandate they gave him is end of this month and I am telling you that Olisa has put up his land for sale. He begged them to allow him make a part payment but they refused him. They told Uzo Ekundu (owner of Obosi United) and myself not to talk about it again that Olisa is not owing me rather he is owing the deity. That whatever happens is none of my business rather when the mandate they gave him reached, I should come and take my money.

“I paid Olisa N1.6 million in 2017. I made the payment through his Zenith Bank account. The cheque is with the Arusi people; it is not with me. I am not the one that is playing football, it is my younger brother that wanted to play abroad. His name is Chinweije,” he said.

On his part, Uzo Ekundu recounted the decision of the people of the deity to our reporter declining to speak on the basis of the order the people gave.

“I called the young man that paid the money and he told me that he had gone to Arusi and that the Arusi people told him to forget the matter and never to talk about it again until Olisa pays the money.

“So it is the person who paid the money that should talk and then somebody will concur. If I tell you what happened and the young man involved in it refused to corroborate it, it will be inconclusive. Nobody carries cash around these days, so the transaction was done through bank,” he said.

But Okechukwu Aninweze is not alone in using a deity to recover debts owed him within the Anambra State FA.

Mbaezue Michael – owner of Jimbaz FC in Ihiala Anambra state - has also vowed to go to deities to recover his N450, 000.

Michael told Bestchoicesports that the chairman of Nnewi United, Olisa Onuchukwu is owing him N450, 000 being the money he transferred to his account in June last year for him to help him (Michael) get a fairly used car.

Michael said that he had prepared to go to Asaba to get the car for N500, 000 but after telling Onuchukwu about his intention, the latter told him to give him the money that his brother in Cotonou, Benin Republic is into car importation and that he would get the car for him in three weeks.

The three weeks had gone into more than half a year, yet the money was not refunded neither the car bought. Hence Michael has sworn to visit two deities in Okija to table his problem and ask them to recover his money.

“I am a football club owner in Ihiala Anambra State. It was around June last year. The thing is, Olisa has been a true friend over the years. It was before the Anambra State FA election. That time he was with Ifeanyi Uba as at the time he bought Gabros United of Nnewi. After Ifeanyi became the Anambra State FA Chairman, Olisa left him. We had become friends and I bought a slot in the Nationwide Division 2 the same year Uba contested for the FA chairman. It was in the course of the election that I became very close to Olisa.

“I told him as a friend that I needed another car because my car then was bad. I also told him that I had seen one in Asaba and it was left for me to just pay in and get the car but he said he has a brother that imports cars from Cotonou, that I should not go to Asaba that he will get the car for me. He asked me to give him three weeks. He said I should not pay for the Asaba car that I should transfer the money to him immediately. He said that before the three weeks that I should raise the balance after I told him I had N450, 000.

“I sent the money to him, the N450, 000. After the three weeks, I started asking him about it but he said I should give him extra one week. From extra one week to extra one month up till today. This is February and nothing had been done in that regard.

“We always communicate and once in a while he would tell me that he has a cheque of N5 million from the owner of Nnewi United, Gabros Chukwuma that he was going to cash the cheque. But he has been telling me that for months. After the three weeks he gave me, I gave him extra one month. It was after then that I stopped asking for the car but was asking for the refund because I knew that the car was not forthcoming. It was a fraud.

“I heard that he collected money from so many people. I was asking him for the refund of my money that I was not interested again. But he kept promising me that he has one cheque or the other. Just playing me around.

"What he did three months ago was to send N10, 000 into my account. Sometimes he gives me N5, 000. If I ask him he would say that I should use it to support myself and court case I have and pay my lawyers. He told people that by the end of February he will pay me the money but that is the story I have been hearing.

“There is a way I want to get that money but I have not had time for it yet. There is what we call Arusi – a deity – in Okija. I have informed the people from that deity but we have not executed that. They have to invite him but I have not gone there to effect the invitation. I don’t want to go to EFCC or police because I will be spending my money. He must pay me whether he likes it or not…

“I have two Arusi I want to take him to - Ogwugu Akpu and Ogwugu Mmiri. The Ogwugu Mmiri is more of a female deity while the Ogwugu Akpu is the male. I will report Oilsa to the two deities. That is the Ogwugu Akpu and the Ogwugu Mmmiri in Okija. I am talking about the deity where they took former governor of Anambra state, Chris Ngige to when he was abducted in 2003. I have already reported him there because he must pay me my money either dead or alive…

Continues tomorrow morning