Gunmen on Friday night assassinated the traditional ruler of Ochia Awarra Ohaji in Imo State, Ochia Paulinus Ekwueme, along with security operatives in his convoy, in what sources described as a carefully coordinated ambush that plunged the Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area into grief and panic.
The monarch, who had returned from a trip abroad earlier in the week, was attacked at the boundary of Assa and Ochia communities in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area while making his way home on Friday evening. Sources said the gunmen, who appeared to have had prior knowledge of his movements and itinerary, lay in wait for the royal father and struck as his convoy approached the boundary area, killing him and a number of security operatives who were with him before setting the bodies ablaze.
A source with knowledge of the incident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that the monarch had left the community sometime earlier following a disagreement with some people there and had been abroad before returning to Owerri on Friday with the intention of proceeding to the village. The source said the attack bore every hallmark of a premeditated operation, suggesting that someone within the monarch's inner circle or community may have leaked information about his return to the village.
"It was a well-planned and well-executed attack; someone must have given out the information that he was returning to the village on Friday. The incident happened at the boundary of Assa and Ochia community in the Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area. Our Eze had been abroad. He only arrived in Owerri on Friday and was heading to the village when he was attacked and killed. We were told that they were set ablaze by the gunmen. Everybody is scared and mourning," the source said.
The source confirmed that some security operatives travelling in the monarch's convoy were also shot dead by the attackers, though he was unable to give a precise figure for the total number of casualties. The killing of the traditional ruler and the destruction of his body and those of the security personnel by fire deepened the shock and sorrow that descended on the local government area in the aftermath of the attack.
The Imo State Police Command spokesperson, Henry Okoye, confirmed the killing of the monarch and said the state Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, had upon receiving news of the incident immediately ordered the deployment of the tactical team across the Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area to restore calm and ensure the safety of residents. Okoye said investigators had been set in motion to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and that sufficient security personnel had been deployed to hunt down the killers, wherever they might be hiding.
"Yes, I am fully aware of the killing of the traditional ruler but I do not have all the details for now, so I cannot confirm the number of casualties. Already, the Imo State CP, Audu Garba Bosso, has deployed the tactical team to commence investigation to identify the perpetrators of this dastardly act. The CP has also deployed enough security operatives to hunt down the killers. And I assure you that we will fish them out no matter where they are hiding," Okoye said.
The killing of Ekwueme adds to a long and troubling record of attacks on traditional rulers in Imo State, which has in recent years become one of the most volatile states in the South-East geopolitical zone, with gunmen repeatedly targeting monarchs, security personnel and government officials in a pattern of violence that has yet to be decisively checked.
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