One person has been killed following an
alleged attempt by some unknown bandits to assassinate the
Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom in Okirika Local
Government Area of Rivers State, His Royal Majesty, King
Ateke Tom.
One person has been killed following an
alleged attempt by some unknown bandits to assassinate the
Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom in Okirika Local
Government Area of Rivers State, His Royal Majesty, King
Ateke Tom.
It was gathered that Ateke, who was a ex-Niger Delta
Agitator, had visited Amadi-Ama in Port Harcourt for a
traditional function when some armed youths invaded the
area and shot sporadically in the direction where Ateke was.
A source alleged that in the process that a young man
believed to be in the entourage of King Ateke was gunned
down, adding that the King escaped the scene by the
whiskers.
However, Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, has condemned the
assassination attempt on Ateke, noting that the incident is
capable of igniting fresh crisis in the region.
In a statement Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Comrade Samuel
George, the Chairman of the Eastern Zone of the Ijaw Youth
Council, IYC, pointed out that the Ijaw leaders are not happy
over the development intended to take the life of the
Amanyanabo.
George said: “We condemn the assassination attempt on the
life of a prominent King of Ijaw land, HRM, King Ateke Tom.
The leaders of Ijaw frown at it because it is capable of
causing fresh crisis in the South-South region if not the
peaceful disposition exhibited by the Okochiri monarch.”
According to George, Ijaws have suffered a lot as a result of
violence in the region, adding that Ijaw people do not want
any crisis in their land, even as he urged security operatives
to fish out and prosecute the culprits.
“The Ijaws observed that attacks on King Ateke is one too
many on the traditional institutions of the Ijaw nation. One a
different occasion that Amanyanabo of Kalabari and Bonny
monarch suffered similar attacks. These attacks are
uncivilised and a calculated attempt to cause crisis in Ijaw
nation,” George stated.
