Gunmen have reportedly assassinated a monarch, the Onu Itama in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Chief Job Shagari Ebijego was said to have been killed on Monday evening, August 12, 2024, near his palace in the Itama community, Dekina Local Government area of the state.

Reliable family sources informed the DAILY POST that the hired assassins were following the Monarch while he was taking a walk within his palace around 9.00 pm when sporadic shooting rented the air.

The source stated that the subjects of the late traditional ruler and his guards could not come out to ascertain what was happening until the shooting occurred. It was further gathered that the assassins fled from the scene with their motorcycles immediately after the killing of the Monarch. His lifeless body was found on the road close to his palace in the Itama community.

The family source explained to newsmen that even though they could not immediately give the real reason the Monarch was assassinated, the late Onu Itama had been on a series of chieftaincy tussles and land dispute matters with some groups of people in the community since he assumed office.

The death of the Monarch has thrown the community into crisis as suspected arsonists have taken over the Itama community.

Aggrieved by the tragic incident, youths in the community woke up on Tuesday morning August 13, 2024, and started burning houses and destroying the property of those suspected to be behind the brutal murder of the community chief.

It was gathered that Police personnel were immediately drafted from the Egume Divisional Police Office alongside some army personnel on the ground to the community to keep peace.

It was reliably gathered that another group of irate youths stormed the Itama community on Tuesday night, looted large quantities of red oil, food items, and property worth thousands of naira, and set houses ablaze.

The Divisional Police Officer in charge of Egume, identified as Pere, has deployed personnel to the community to restore normalcy.

All efforts to speak with the Kogi State Police Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) SP. Williams Ovye Aya proved abortive as he did not pick up his calls or respond to text messages sent to his phone lines.

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