There was absolute peace on Thursday at Isiama Afaraukwu community and the palace of late Eze Israel Okwu Kanu as preparations for the burial of the late monarch and his wife, Ugoeze Sally Kanu, parents of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, reached a crescendo. The palace is teeming with sympathisers ahead of the burial scheduled to hold tomorrow, February 14, 2020.

Afaraukwu is an Ibeku clan in Umuahia, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State and houses the Abia seat of power.

A visit to the palace this evening (3-5pm) showed that those saddled with various responsibilities were busy putting things in place to ensure a hitch-free burial ceremony.

Cooks were seen arranging and preparing condiments while some youth were offloading customised bottled water and other drinks into the compound.

Already, the final resting place of the duo has been dug even as many traditional rulers and other sympathisers were still coming to pay their condolences to the fallen monarch whose burial has created so much tension, particularly in the media.

During the visit to the home of the Kanus, apart from a Police pick-up van with the inscription “Provost, 28 PMF” stationed at the Factory Road intersection, there was no presence of security personnel around the vicinity as people were seen going in and coming out of the palace freely.

Also, the construction of the road leading into the palace from Factory Road end which connects the Okpara Avenue end leading to Abia State Government House, was in progress.

It is expected that the road, being constructed by Abia State Government, which has reached advanced stage, may be asphalted later this night.

Second son of the late monarch, Prince Kingsley Kanu, was seen giving directives and coordinating activities.

Another son, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, had told journalists in Umuahia penultimate Tuesday that the family and Afaraukwu Ibeku community expected the burial to be peaceful and warned trouble makers to stay away.

He had said the impression people were creating that the programme was that of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was wrong, adding that the burial of their parents was not an IPOB affair.

However, in the build-up to the burial, the Police and IPOB have been locked in a war of words.

•PHOTO: The condolence register for late Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and his wife, Ugoeze Sally Kanu, at the palace in Afaraukwu is an Ibeku clan in Umuahia, Abia State . . . Thursday

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