Tragedy In Imo: Unknown Gunmen Shoot, Kill Traditional Rulers

By Charles Igbo

An unprecedented tragedy struck Imo State, Tuesday, October 19. A gang of gunmen barged into a meeting of Traditional Rulers, shot and killed at least two of them, and injured many others.

The injured are in the hospital.

Eye witness accounts said the Traditional Rulers, numbering about 20, were holding a meeting at the Headquarters of Njaba Local Government Area when the gunmen stormed the venue and first started shooting sporadically, before pointedly shooting at the scared and scampering Traditional Rulers.

When the shooting stopped, two of them were sprawled on the floor, dead in the pool of their own blood.

The two Traditional Rulers were identified as those of Okwudor and Ihebinowerre.

A source who pleaded anonymity described the incident as an “abomination”. Another said:

“This is the lowest the Igbo have descended to. For youths to storm a gathering of Traditional Rulers with guns, shoot at them, and kill them is the limit. The Igbo has become a cursed race. The land needs cleansing.”

The South-east has been battling with  a worsening insecurity situation in the past many months. At a time, Imo State was the worst hit, until Anambra took over.

It has been a bit quiet in the Imo for sometime now until this unprecedented incident.

It is not known, yet, why the gunmen stormed the venue of the meeting, or the number of injured Traditional Rulers, but the State Police Command has confirmed the tragedy.