Fresh details have emerged on the abduction and death of the traditional ruler of Ndufu-Alike community in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, HRH Eze Francis Igwe.
According to accounts from community sources, the monarch was kidnapped last Sunday while attending a service at an Assemblies of God church located close to his palace in Ikwo. A group of armed men reportedly stormed the area, seized the elderly ruler and fled the scene.
Witnesses said the attackers transported the monarch using a tricycle, popularly known as Keke-Napep, and moved him to Izzi, a community under Abakaliki Local Government Area, where he was allegedly held captive.
Eze Igwe, who was in his eighties, was a respected figure in the state. Before the creation of Ebonyi State in 1996, he served as a member of the Enugu State House of Assembly. He was also the father of the immediate past Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Barr. Kelechi Igwe, PhD, and father-in-law to the current chairman of Ikwo Local Government Area, Chief Barr. Sunday Nwankwo.
Following the abduction, stakeholders from Ikwo community reportedly sought spiritual consultation through “Ili Noyo,” a revered deity within the clan, while efforts were also made to trace the kidnappers.
Sources said the abductors later contacted the family, requesting N500,000, which they claimed was needed to purchase medication for the elderly monarch. They provided a bank account with Zenith Bank where the money should be paid.
After the payment was made, a transaction query was reportedly placed on the account, prompting the account holder to visit the bank to resolve the issue. The individual was subsequently apprehended.
During interrogation, he allegedly disclosed that the account had been provided at the request of Mr. Sinbad Ogbuatu, the current state publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State.
Security operatives later invited Ogbuatu for questioning. According to sources familiar with the investigation, he told investigators that one of his associates had asked him to find an account number to receive the funds. Instead of providing his own account details, he allegedly sourced another person’s account.
Investigators reportedly used the lead to track down other suspects believed to be connected to the kidnapping syndicate. Two suspects were eventually arrested and questioned.
During interrogation, the suspects reportedly told security operatives that the monarch had died while in their custody. They later led authorities to the location where his remains had been buried.
The decomposing body of the traditional ruler was subsequently exhumed and deposited at a morgue in Abakaliki.
Police authorities are expected to arraign seven suspects linked to the incident, including Ogbuatu, in court next week as investigations continue.
The tragic development has left residents of Ikwo and the wider Ebonyi community in shock, with many calling for swift justice for the late monarch.