Angry villagers have set ablaze the palace of a traditional ruler of Oghoghobi community in Edo state over the death of a community leader. Th e youths stormed the palace after unknown gunmen assassinated a former youth chairman in the community, Mr. Lambert Igbinomwahia. It was gathered that the traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Kingsley Omorose, escaped death by the whisker as he had fl ed the palace before the irate youths struck. Besides, property belonging to the traditional ruler was also torched, including those owned by his loyalists.
A member of the community, who crave anonymity, said the community head was suspected because of several threats he had made to the late Igbinomwanhia. Th e source said the late Igbinomwanhia was just entering the balcony to his apartment when one of the gunmen called him chair-the-chair. “Immediately he (Igbinomwanhia) looked back to respond to his caller, the man brought out a gun and shot him. “After the shooting, the villagers stormed the traditional ruler’s palace having fi ngered him as the mastermind”, the source said. Mother of the deceased, identifi ed as Magdalene, said Igbinomwanhia was her only son. “Th e Enogie called my son and told him to stop selling land. My son said he has not been selling land.” Magdalene urged security agencies to unravel the killers of her son. Contacted on the telephone, the traditional ruler described the allegations against him as a ploy to dent his image. Th e State Police Commissioner, Haliru Gwandu confi rmed the incident
