Following the abduction of the Odionlogbo of Olomoro kingdom, HRM Josaih Umukoro last Friday morning from the front of his palace, traditional rulers of Urhobo stock have demanded his unconditional release or the kidnappers be ready to face death penalty.
Chairman of Urhobo Traditional Rulers Council, HRM Ovie Richard Layeguen Ogbon, Ogoni-Oghoro I JP, the Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom, gave the warning to the culprits on Sunday in Warri, Delta State.
The 99-year-old traditional ruler of Olomu said it was an aberration for kidnappers to begin to target royal fathers for ransom.
According to him, “It is a misnomer for kidnappers to kidnap a monarch, a revered king; we the Urhobo traditional rulers in Delta State cannot take this.”
He condemned, in strong terms, the abduction of the Odionlogbo just few weeks after the Obi of Ubulu-Uku was kidnapped and his body found decomposing in a bush.
“The Kidnap of the Olomoro king is highly condemnable as we had just lost the king of Ubulu-Uku through kidnap. It means that our security as traditional rulers is not guaranteed in the state.
“We demand for the immediate and unconditional release of the Olomoro King by his abductors. Whoever touches a king touches a representative of God’s authority.
“We call on the security operatives to beef up security around the kings henceforth, as we have become a soft target. We call on the state government not to be tired in the war against criminality,” nonagenarian noted.
The worried Ovie Ogbon lamented that the “kidnap of another king has left bad taste in our mouths. We call on the abductors to release him unharmed.”
He said “God will forgive them if they do so; the abductors should know that royalty is not what one toils with as there are grave consequences in such act.”
It will be recalled that the Obi of Ubulu-Uku Kingdom, HRH Agbogidi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III, was recently kidnapped in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State and his body later found along a bush at Umunede. End
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Tribune
