The peaceful village of Akuwa in Ibeku Okwuato Autonomous Community, Aboh Mbaise Local Governments Area was brazenly thwarted on March 31, 2025,when a squad of the joint security task force hired by Pastor Uche Franklin also known as Oyibo stormed the house of his neighbour, Chief Benneth Ukpabi and allegedly looted it, kidnapping the man’s wife and less than two years baby.
In a petition to Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 9, Umuahia, Abia State, and copied to the Assistant Controller, Imo State Correctional Centre, Owerri, and signed by A. E. Operation, Esq, of Maduagwu Oparaji & Co, Ave Maria Chambers, on behalf of Ukpabi, the petitioners stated how the incident took place.
“Sometimes in February 2025, Pastor Uche Franklin used his public address system in a manner to constitute unending noise by way of nuisance within the neighbourhood.
” Based on the unbearable noise constituting nuisance within the neighbourhood, our client, Chief Benneth Ukpabi, warned the pastor on the proper use of the public system considering the health hazards of the neighbourhood, of which the pastor agreed but subsequently reneged as he continued using his church’s public addressing system to disturb the peace and tranquility of the neighborhood”.
It was gathered that by not keeping to his pledge of not disturbing the peace of the neighbourhood as he used his public address system to disturb the entire enclave, particularly, Ukpabi, the latter walked to him and pleaded with him to play down the noise emanating from his megaphone.
It was on that point that Pastor Uche Franklin Oyibo decided to deal dangerously with Ukpabi. Therefore, on the night of March 31, the pastor stormed Ukpabi’s country home with security men in police, army and prisons uniform about 1:14am.
According to Ukpabi, “Oyibo who parades as a pastor, came into my house in the village with men in various security uniforms. After beating my security to stupor, they kidnapped my wife and baby and went to where we later discovered to be Ihitte Uboma. They broke into my rooms and ransacked everywhere even as they scattered all my rooms”.
He added, “They tookaway N300, 000k from the house and Eight Thousand Nine Hundred Dollars from my Mercedes Benz car packed in my compound. They even attempted taking the car. They took my power bike.
“The funny aspect of it was, while that operation which lasted between 1:14 and 7am was going on, Oyibo’s father emerged and pointed to an old wound he sustained several months ago, claiming they were bullet wounds he sustained from me! In fact, Oyibo and his gang alleged that they recovered live catrages and gun in my house. This arrant lie”.
To be sure, Ukpabi explained his identity. He said, “I am a clan chief – the Duruohia 1 of Okwuato (old) Autonomous Community. That title was bestowed on me by the late His Royal Highness, Eze Ihewulezi in 1995. In 1998, I travelled to America and I work as a certified nurse. I also have an American Passport as a citizen. You see, I love home and I appreciate peace and tranquility. But Oyibo has been using his public address system to cause nuisance. I pleaded with him to maintain tranquility and orderliness but he would not hear. Rather, he wants to destroy me. I want the authorities to intervene by bringing all the culprits involved to book”.
Pastor Uche Franklin, a worker at Imo State Correctional Centre could not be reached when newsmen visited his Akuwa Ibeku country home and none volunteered to have his mobile number.
