A traditional ruler of Atta ancient kingdom in the Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, Edwin Azike, has been murdered and body dumped in a market square by unknown gunmen.
The traditional ruler, it was learnt, was abducted by the gunmen on Thursday only for his corpse to be discovered at the market square in the community on Friday morning.
Four persons, it was also learnt, were shot dead on Thursday in the community after the monarch was kidnapped.
“The traditional ruler of Atta ancient kingdom in the Njaba LGA, Eze Edwin Azike, has been murdered. His lifeless body was dumped at the market square and the villagers discovered it this morning. He was kidnapped on Thursday and thereafter, the community was invaded which led to the killing of four persons,” a source said.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council/ Community Policing in the state, Eze Emma Okeke, said that the monarchs in the state “got the sad news about the killing of Eze Edwin Azike,” on Friday morning.
He said, “This is abominable in Igbo culture. I don’t know why traditional rulers are being hunted like this. We 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.”