Police in Imo State have launched a manhunt for the killers of Eze Paulinus Ekwueme, the traditional ruler of Ochia Autonomous Community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area. The attack occurred on Friday, April 10, killing the monarch and five others. Commissioner Audu Bosso deployed tactical units to hunt the assailants.
The Police Command in Imo State has launched a manhunt for the killers of Eze Paulinus Ekwueme, the traditional ruler of Ochia Autonomous Community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area. DSP Henry Okoye, the command's Police Public Relations Officer, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
The attack took place on Friday in the Assa community along Asa Awara Road in Ohaji/Egbema LGA by armed hoodlums. Okoye stated that Commissioner of Police Audu Bosso deployed tactical units in synergy with other security agencies to hunt the perpetrators. “The deployment followed a distress report received from Ohaji Police Division on April 10, at about 1630 hrs, indicating that armed assailants attacked Ekwueme along Asa Awara Road,” he said.
“Regrettably, the attack led to the death of the monarch, Ekwueme, the Ochia I of Ochia Kingdom, alongside five other yet-to-be-identified victims,” Okoye stated. The tactical teams recovered the burnt corpses, which were evacuated and deposited at the Federal University Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Owerri, for preservation and autopsy.
Bosso and his management team conducted an on-the-spot assessment and confidence-building visit to the Ochia community. “The Commissioner sympathised with the family of the late traditional ruler and other deceased victims and assured residents that the command remains fully committed to sustaining peace and security in the state,” Okoye said. “In no distant time, the perpetrators will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.” He urged the public to provide credible information to aid the investigation.
