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Palpable fear is brewing in Atta community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo state following the murder of the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Edwin Azike by yet-to-be-identified gunmen on Friday.
In a video obtained by The Eastern Updates, his corpse was sighted at the market square in the community on Friday morning.
The Eastern Updates gathered that the traditional ruler of Mbutu ancient kingdom in the Aboh Mbaise LGA of the state, Damian Nwaigwe, was earlier abducted on Thursday morning from his palace.
A family source, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the development to newsmen saying that four persons were also shot dead on Thursday in the community after the monarch was kidnapped.
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He listed some of those shot dead as Iyke Oduozor, a 17-year-old apprentice, and one Lady Dominica, and another whose name could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
According to him, Azike’s body was dumped at the market square and the villagers discovered it this morning.
While also confirming the report, the Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council/ Community Policing in the state, Eze Emma Okeke, said that the monarchs in the state were saddened by the killing of their colleague.
He described the killing of Azike as an abomination, disclosing that the council was on Friday morning informed of the killing of the traditional ruler.
‘Traditional rulers are not politicians, we are only custodians of the culture of our people. We were informed on Thursday when he was kidnapped, only for him to be found dead, this morning.
‘We have received the sad news about the killing of Eze Edwin Azike. This is abominable in Igbo culture. I don’t know why traditional rulers are being hunted like this,’ he said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in Imo State, Micheal Abattam, was yet to officially react to the story as at the time of filing this report.
THE EASTERN UPDATES
