Gunmen have killed a traditional ruler in Ebonyi State, His Royal Highness, Eze Umazi Ubani.
Ubani was the traditional ruler of Umuihe Community in Akaeze, in the Ivo Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered from residents that the monarch was killed when the hoodlums invaded the community on Friday night.
There were heavy shootings in the community during the invasion by the gunmen.
Newsmen who were at the community on Monday gathered that the development forced frightened residents to scamper for safety.
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The Coordinator of Akaeze Development Centre, Chinasa Okorie, confirmed the incident.
Okorie condemned the monarch’s killing saying it would be very difficult to get another traditional ruler of his kind.
He said, “Around 10 p.m. last Friday, I received a call that there were shootings in the house of our traditional ruler. After the shootings, it was discovered that our traditional ruler had been killed. That is the Traditional Ruler of Umuihe Autonomous Community, Akaeze, HRH Eze Umazi Ibo Uban.”
The community leader described the slain monarch, who was about 60 years old, as “bold, fearless and intelligent,” saying Ubani’s wealth of experience would be greatly missed by the community, the local government and the state.
He said only security agencies could find out those behind the attack and killing.
Another leader from the community, Sinbad Ogbuatu, told correspondents that the incident forced shop owners in a market around the community to shut down.
“I have been calling everyone and nobody told me there was a crisis or problem in the community to warrant such an incident. Maybe when normalcy returns, we will know the cause of everything,” Ogbuatu stated.
The Ebonyi State Police Command, on Monday, confirmed the attack and killing of the monarch.
The police spokesperson in the state, DSP Joshua Ukandu, said police operatives had launched a manhunt for the attackers.
Ukandu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said, “Immediately we got a distress call on the incident, we swung into action and the assailants had already left the scene by the time our men moved in there. But we are trailing the assailants.”
