The Umuihe autonomous community, Akaeze in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has been thrown into a state of trauma, following the killing of their traditional ruler, HRH Umazi Ibo Ubani, by suspected gunmen.
Vanguard learnt that there were heavy shootings in the community by the gunmen during an invasion last Friday, which created undue panic in the area as members of the community were reportedly seen scampering for safety.
The Coordinator of Akaeze Development Centre, Chinasa Okorie, confirmed the incident on Sunday evening, stating that the incident occurred at about 10 p.m. on Friday.
He condemned the killing of the monarch, stressing that it will be very difficult to get a traditional ruler of his calibre again.
According to him, the monarch, who is in his 60s, was bold, fearless and intelligent, adding that his wealth of experience would be greatly missed by the community, the Local Government and the state at large.
“Around 10 pm last Friday, I received a call that there was shooting in the house of our traditional ruler, that after the shooting, it was discovered that our traditional ruler had been killed and that is the traditional ruler of Umuihe Autonomous Community, Akaeze, HRH Eze Umazi Ibo Ubani.
“This is a great loss to the community and Akaeze at large because he is a man of integrity, a man that would be difficult to replace because the man is intelligent, he is bold and he is fearless.
“The man does not know corruption because, at all times, his integrity is always seen. I am very sad about his killing. It is a great loss to Akaeze Development Centre where I am the leader, Ivo Local Government and Ebonyi State.
“His voice is loud in Ebonyi State. He is a first-class traditional ruler. The killing is a very bad incident”, he stated.
Okorie said only security agencies can ascertain the remote and immediate cause of the incident and those behind it.
Another stakeholder from the Community, Simbad Ogbuatu, also confirmed the attack and killing of the traditional ruler.
He noted that the incident has caused tension and apprehension in the community, adding that markets and shops around the community couldn’t open for any kind of business transaction.
“I have been calling everyone and nobody told me there was crisis or problem in the community to warrant such incident. Maybe when normalcy returns, we will know the cause of everything”, he stated.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi State Command, DSP Joshua Ukandu, while confirming the incident, said policemen had begun a manhunt for the assailants.
“Immediately we got a distress call on the incident, we swung into action and the assailants have already left the scene by the time our men moved to the scene but we are trailing the assailants.” (Vanguard)