Imo community suspends cultural festival over monarch’s wife murder

The leadership of Uratta Development Association in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo state has announced the suspension of all cultural events in the communities in Uratta clan.

The announcement followed the killing of Comfort Okoro, wife of the traditional ruler of Ihitoha Uratta community, Emmanuel Okoro by kidnappers, after collecting ransom from the family.

Her body was later found along a village road in Akabor community in Oguta Local Government Area of the state

Addressing journalists in Owerri at the weekend, the President-General of Uratta Development Association, Chief Canice Madukaji, who described the abduction and killing of the wife of the traditional ruler as troubling, said the suspension equally affects the traditional ‘Onwa Oru’ festival slated to hold on February 22.

Madukaji reiterated that the decision was taken after consultations between stakeholders as well as the traditional rulers of the affected autonomous communities to mourn the deceased.

He said: “On behalf of the traditional rulers of Uratta and the people of Uratta clan, we hereby suspend ‘Onwa Oru’ Uratta. ‘Onwa Oru’ ought to hold on February 22. It is a festival of peace, which is traditional and cultural. It’s a peaceful period for our kingdom.

“Before the sad news of the queen’s death when she was in captivity, we held a meeting and agreed that if she was not released before ‘Onwa Oru’, we would not celebrate it.

Now that we have a worse situation like this, we have decided to suspend the cultural festival in honour of the wife of one of our traditional rulers.

“All the monarchs are not involved in celebrating ‘Onwa Oru’; the town unions are not involved and the women too are not involved because we’re mourning.

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“We’re troubled by her death because of the way a woman of that calibre was kidnapped in this palace in the presence of her family and domestic staff. This is what we used to read in the media about other places, now, it is happening before us.”

Madukaji used the opportunity to call on the Imo state government and security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act.