A Highly placed Itsekiri chief, Thomas Ereyitomi, has reportedly gone to
pay the brideprice of the first woman in his life, Caroline Okorodudu,
who died a few weeks ago. According to Facebook user, Charles Pemu, who
shared the story online, Ereyitomi and Caroline were live in lovers for
many years when he was still a struggling man and had children. Pemu in
his post said immediately Ereyitomi made money and became wealthy, his
taste in women upgraded and he began to go after other women. He
abandoned his first love, Caroline, and later got married to another
woman. Few weeks ago, Caroline died mysteriously and the Chief decided
he wanted to throw her a huge burial. However, the family of the
deceased said they can only allow him bury their sister if he pays her
bride price. Accroding to Pemu, the chief on Sunday November 25th, led a
delegation of his family members to the home of the deceased to pay
her brideprice so he can bury her as his wife. Read what Pemu wrote on
Facebook belowMedicine After Death as Chief Thomas Ereyitomi finally
paid bride price on the corpse of Madam Caroline Okorodudu, an
honourable act that he should have done when she was alive if only he
weren’t irresponsible: Note that the bride price on the death of Madam
Caroline was paid on Sunday 25th November 2018, in Pa. Roger Okorodudu’s
residence located at Ogiyide. I thought some of his apologetic admirers
and sycophantic loyalist were attacking me by claiming he had earlier
married the lady before he was bestowed upon a chieftaincy in the land?
Well, Madam Caroline Okorodudu can now be addressed as Mrs Caroline
Ereyitomi, a status she was denied when alive but given after her
death.Isn’t this shameful and denigrating to the Itsekiri tradition and
practices that her chief had demonstrated no regard for the Itsekiri
ladies which the non-Itsekiri men in the likes of Theophilus Danjuma who
married Daisy and Bola Ahmed Tinubu who married Remi Otuendon had for
the Itsekiri ladies? Please, if this was done to an Itsekiri by a none
Itsekiri man would the Itsekiris see nothing wrong about it like some
are covering up the action and wickedness of Thomas who is not just an
ordinary citizen but a palace chief that should leave a responsible
legacy for the Itsekiri people to follow?
How
can Thomas Ereyitomi's act be classified? Should Itsekiri call it
wickedness or ignorance on Thomas Ereyitomi part for paying bride price
on the corpse of Caroline Okorodudu to enable him to organise an
elaborate burial ceremony which he didn't organise for her through
marriage or even birthday when she was alive? Please, is this how
heartless some Itsekiri men are towards their women? Is this the
tradition and culture that the palace wants us to practice since is done
by one of the advisers of the current Olu Ikenwoli?Well, it is my
prayer that may this not be the portion of any Itsekiri lady ever again
except the daughters and sisters of those rendering sycophantic services
for Thomas in exchange for stomach infrastructural
empowerment.Itsekiris should know how heartless and wicked is this man
called Thomas that the lady (Caroline Okorodudu) whose bride price has
been paid on her corpse by Thomas did not deserve such humiliation,
disrespect and insult melted on her person by the same man she
sacrificed her all. She was the lady who stood by Thomas when Thomas had
nothing to his name than being a mere street urchin and political thug,
Thomas as at then was living with her in the one room given to her by
her father in her father’s compound at Ekurede community where she was
then selling cooked rice and beans in the morning and evening time just
to feed Thomas during the days when Thomas had nothing.But when Thomas
made billions of naira to the detriment of Ugborodo Community where he
represented as the trust chairman, he then went to secretly paid the
pride price of one Charity who is an Urhobo lady from Abraka while he
abandoned the Itsekiri Caroline Okorodudu in his house located in Ubeji
Community that was built under the supervision of Ayiri Emami back in
the days when Ayiri was still his loyalist. Thomas abandoned this woman
in the house for many years as he relocated his new wife Charity to his
paradise home located in Lagos. Well, that shouldn’t be my business
according to his loyalist because the woman in question is not my
mother, sister or daughter, but how will anyone feel if she had been
their sister, daughter or genuine beloved friend that her husband
abandoned her and never visited her until her death but wanted people to
pay him condolence that he is bereaved when we know he is actually
happy as the death of the lady is another opportunity to host his
campaign team?Itsekiris should ask Chief Thomas the following
questions:(1) Why didn’t he honour the lady that has been therefore for
him when he had nothing by paying her bride price while she was still
alive?(2) Why pay the bride price of a lady he later met after he has
enriched himself to the detriment of Itsekiri development when he has
not paid that of the first lady?(3) Why Abandoned Caroline at his Ubeji
residence but never went to visit until her death.(4) That if he is
aware that the death of Caroline could be as a result of the trauma she
suffered from the fact that despite all her sacrifices, the man (Thomas)
who she sacrificed so much for still humiliated her?Can someone tell me
what was Thomas retaining the lady for when he refused to pay her bride
price when she was alive? Should I say for is for the mere purposes of
girlfriend, baby mama or his housemaid? Mind you, I have not said so but
only asked a question so I can be educated.Itsekiris should know that
it was this very year which she died that Thomas went to pay the bride
price of the other woman and the irony of it was that all Thomas other
women had no atom of regards for her as they kept insulting and calling
names because Thomas has shown his disregards for her.Itsekiris should
know that this act of Thomas is evil as he couldn’t celebrate the lady
when alive now that she is dead he is planning to organised an elaborate
Burial ceremony instead of marriage party where the families and
friends of the late Caroline Okorodudu would have come to jubilate with
her.Itsekiris should be informed that Thomas had a plan of burying the
Itsekiri lady within a week after her death like a nobody because he
wanted to rush it so he can proceed with his political campaign which
seems to him as more important than the death of the woman if not for
the likes of Chief Francis Ujatoli who told him that just cannot happen
as he must stay at home and show the lady some respect. This was why I
mentioned in my first publication that it is hypocritical to pay him
condolence as he is not touched by the death of the woman but rather
happy that she has gone at last so he can face his favourite Charity
woman as a wife who is now seating on the structure built by the late
Caroline. Hmmm, may that Charity of a lady ask God for mercy because the
late woman served a living God and the God heard her cry, for nemesis,
karma and posterity cannot be influenced by man when it is time.I want
to appreciate those amongst the members of the Okorodudu families
especially the likes of Hon Adige Okorodudu, George and Simeon Illuwa
and the others that was bold enough to stand up to the Ereyitomi’s
family sent by Thomas that their sister and daughter is not some piece
of rubbish that is after she has died as result of trauma from the
humiliation melted on her by Thomas, that they now want to pay her bride
price which should have paid when she was still alive, for you guys
proved that not everyone can be bought over with money or whatever
promises but there’s nothing much you guys could do when the so-called
elders of the families led by Pa. Rogers who is the current Olaraja of
Ekurede Community accepted the bride price paid on their dead sister and
daughter which is so humiliating as it translate she was not good
enough for bride price while alive but after she has gone.The excuses
given was that the children of the late woman pleaded and claiming they
are bereaved over the loss of their beloved mother (Caroline) which is
doubted by many who believed that if it’s indeed true that they really
loved their mother, they would have compelled their father (Thomas) to
show regard to their mother when she was still alive by doing the right
thing before going to pay the bride price of Charity (the woman he later
met). But it seems unfortunate as the children were all carried away
and blinded with the wealth coming from their father. Itsekiris should
be informed that majority of the deceased family did not consent the
proposal of Thomas coming to pay the bride price on their late sister
and daughter’s corpse because he (Thomas) wanted to organise an
elaborate burial ceremony for the late Caroline which he never did for
her when alive by paying her bride price or celebrating her
birthday.Well, the condition given to Thomas by the those amongst the
families that was patronised is that the lady must be buried in the
Ubeji residence and not on her own land which Thomas accepted, but what
the Okorodudu family is not aware of is that Thomas has already
abandoned her at that Ubeji house long ago so that condition actually
cost him nothing if compared to the heaven he gave to his Charity of a
wife to live in Lagos state while Caroline suffers depression,
negligence and humiliation back in Warri.The children of the late
Caroline should have in mind that they become accomplices to the cause
of the death of their mother if they do not deal with their father over
what he did to their mother, for if supposing their father (Thomas) had
shown regards to their mother (Caroline) when alive, she wouldn’t have
died by now as the cause of her death could be due to trauma she
suffered from the humiliation, insult, maltreatment from their father.
The children should whip their tears because if they loved their mother
as they are trying to show to the world, they wouldn’t have reasons to
cry today as they would have protected her from the maltreatment and
disrespect which their father and his other wives melted on
her.Itsekiris should know that this act of Thomas Ereyitomi is shameful
and disgrace to the prestige of the kingdom of Iwere and the Itsekiri
people that their chief has shown to them a legacy that the Itsekiri
women that used to be regarded by other tribes should be disrespected
and used as girlfriends and baby mamas when alive because the upcoming
generation are expected to walk on the path created by their elders.
Well, who should we blame if not the likes of Pa. Rogers who is the
current Olaraja of Ekurrede Community that should know better and
encourage good leadership, but went on to accept the bride price of
their late daughter and sister behalf the Okorodudu’s family against the
will of many.Lastly, I’ll advise Itsekiri to ask themselves a very
simple question as “Is Thomas Ereyitomi the same politician that wants
Itsekiris to support his political ambition to represent the Warri
Federal Constituency?What good will a man who had no regard for the same
Itsekiri woman that has been there for him be to humanity if given
another opportunity to represent?To what good will a man like Thomas
Ereyitomi who robbed the developmental funds of Ugborodo people which
could have provided the community with drinking water, healthcare,
electricity, schools and scholarship be to Itsekiri nation and the
people of the Warri Federal Constituency if supported ignorantly to
represent the people at the Federal House of Rep?A man who partook in
most terror and horror against the Itsekiri nation which has caused
pains in the families of the ordinary Itsekiri citizen? Well, I can only
talk, expose the atrocities done against mankind but I cannot force the
sense of freedom on anyone, for slavery and freedom is in the
mindset.We should know that even our Lord God Almighty has to expose the
antics and scheme of Satan in order to prevent His people from becoming
prey of the devil and this is exactly what I’m doing by exposing the
atrocities of dealers in the likes of Thomas Ereyitomi, Emmanuel Eweta
Uduaghan,, Ayiri Emami, and the rest of the gangs parading as leaders,
for my intention is not personal but collective as I cannot turn a blind
eye, give a deaf ear and maintain a dumb lip because I do not want to
be attacked, insulted, mocked or falsely and wrongly accused of
something.Conclusively, it should be made known to Chief Thomas
Ereyitomi, that I’ll not be bothered over whatever accusations that will
be alleged against me through his media dogs that my advocacy towards
the maltreatment of the Itsekiri women which the late Madam Caroline
Okorodudu who has become Mrs Ereyitomi after death became a reference in
my content is politically motivated because I cited issues which
correlated to leadership.As times go by, I pray that may my advocacy
which aimed at the collective protection of all be vindicated.Charles
Eyimofe (Baruch) Pemu.
