•Herbert Wigwe
Isiokpo community in Ikwerre Local Government of Rivers State has said it will use its tradition to determine circumstances of the crash that killed its son, his wife and son.
King Blessing Wagor spoke during a procession to begin eight-day mourning yesterday, reports The Nation.
Wagor said Wigwe would not be buried outside Isiokpo, adding the community awaits his remains for traditional rites.
He said: “We must traditionally bury him. He cannot be buried outside Isiokpo. He must be buried here.
“Isiokpo must find a way to probe his death. We must get to the root of this thing. Isiokpo is an ancient city. We must go back to our traditional way and find out what killed Herbert Wigwe.
“If his death is natural. We will know. If it is from a human we will know.”
A visit to the community showed markets, shops and others were shut yesterday.
The roads in the community were bereft of vehicles as elderly men and women, children, and youths, trooped out in dark attire singing songs and lamenting passage of their benefactor.
The processions ended at Wagor’s palace where mourners were received by the monarch.
Seated under a large canopy, the mourners sang and called on God to intervene and help them cope with the loss.
King Wagor described Wigwe as a special man to the community, saying he championed development of Isiokpo.
He said: “Wigwe fulfilled promises he made to the community but lamented that the community was expecting actualisation of other life-changing promises before his death.
“Who will now complete the electricity project he initiated? Who will give us light?
“He is a special man to us. We are crying and mourning him. God knows everything. I won’t ask God why. We hand everything over to God. May God give us the mind to endure it.
“We relied on him. He came to develop Isiokpo. He was a wonderful person to us. He left legacies in the community. He cited a university here. He made promises. He promised us plenty things. We are in tears. The light project he promised us is ongoing. Who will give us light again? He has gone and we are in pain.
“What happens to our Xmas bonus? He used to supply rice to Isiokpo. We enjoyed him. His death is painful. He was humble, honest and respectful.”
The monarch said Wigwe’s death had taught others to make an impact on their communities.
He noted if Wigwe had not left such legacies, Isiokpo would not be mourning him.
“This death is an example to us. You must make an impact in your community. If Herbert is not a good man, this crowd will not gather here. We can’t be here crying. Let’s follow Wigwe’s footsteps,” Wagor added.
President of Isiokpo Youth Council and Coordinating Chairman of Ikwerre youth leaders, Ezemoye Peter, also wants the death probed.
Peter said: “We are not too comfortable with the stories. We, the youth of Isiokpo, call on the federal government, state and National Assembly to look into this and follow up on investigations to know what happened.
“We are not buying the stories. It is a great loss to us and we can’t just lose a brother and father like that. We want Interpol and the Federal Government to find out what happened.
“I am not a pilot and I am not an engineer but in my layman’s understanding when the weather is bad, you don’t take off. So, the engineering crew and helicopter company should be investigated. We need a thorough probe to see what happened.
“Wigwe was my boss, news of his death came as a shock. I worked with him. We planned with him over the years with the things he brought to Isiokpo.
“Education is the key to every society. He had the idea of turning the town into the envy of many people.
“He made promises to us. We have been crying all these days. We took to the streets today to mark the respect and love we have for him. Today is Valentine’s day. You can see all Isiokpo, the king and chiefs, including women, are here in solidarity.
“But one thing is key. What is happening shows the impact he made in Isiokpo, Ikwerre and Rivers State. Other communities took part in the procession.
“The only way we can honour him is to ensure his legacies are sustained. That is the best way anyone can mourn him.
“We must protect all and ensure we actualise all his dreams and aspirations. His dreams and his name shouldn’t be allowed to go into extinction. We are mourning him for eight days. But after today, activities will go on in the community on a low key. Wigwe did a lot for us.”
