Posted by Chinenye on Wed 06th May, 2026 - tori.ng
Leaders in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State have urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading misinformation following the killing of a traditional ruler and five others in a deadly ambush along the Assa-Awarra Road.
Following the death of Eze Paulinus Ekwueme, the traditional ruler of Ochia Autonomous Community, community leaders in Imo State's Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area have issued a warning against the propagation of inciting narratives and false information.
As efforts to capture the perpetrators of the attack intensify, they asked locals to maintain composure.
The monarch and five other people were ambushed in April along the Assa-Awarra Road, according to PUNCH Metro. The attackers murdered the victims and burned their corpses.
The Council of Traditional Rulers, the Ogbako Ohaji People's Forum leadership, and members of the Ohaji community in the United States comprised the Ohaji Elders Council, which released a communiqué on Tuesday that described as "calculated" a disinformation campaign purportedly intended to undermine traditional institutions and community leaders.
Along with fifteen other members, Odozi Obodo II of Assa Kingdom and Chairman of the Ohaji/Egbema Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Emmanuel Assor, signed the statement.
The communiqué stated, "The Council noted with dismay the misleading, unwarranted, and unfounded rumors circulating on social media, designed to misinform, malign, and undermine Ohaji traditional rulers and members of the Ogbako Ohaji."
"It is now necessary to correct the record regarding the senseless killing of a revered monarch, even though we would normally disregard such malicious claims."
The council denounced the attack, stated that steps had been taken to look into the incident's immediate and underlying causes, and promised to make its conclusions public as soon as possible.
Additionally, it rejected claims of financial misbehavior involving community development monies as unfounded and polarizing.
The officials praised Ochia's citizens for keeping the calm in the face of provocation while cautioning bloggers and content producers against making dramatic or provocative statements that could spark conflict.
They promised to fully cooperate with security services, which have started looking into the murders.
Garba Bosso, the state commissioner of police, worked with other security agencies to send tactical teams to the scene after the incident.
Police had earlier verified that the burned bodies of the victims had been recovered and placed for autopsy at the Federal University Teaching Hospital in Owerri. They also promised to find the perpetrators.