By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Traditional Ruler of Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra, Igwe Alex Onyido, and the Anambra State Police Command have been blamed for the death, on Thursday, of Ogidi youth leader, Chike Okoye.

Speaking with journalists on the incident on Saturday, Chairman of the village association, Mr. Obide Benedith, dismissed claims that Chike Okoye died after falling in a failed bid to scale the fence to evade police arrest. He said that the youth leader was pushed to his death and linked the death to the community’s land which he claimed the traditional ruler encroached into without their consent.

Benedith, who spoke in company of his vice, Nonso Agbata, said: “He (Igwe Alex Onyido) started arresting those who are out to oppose him, including myself, the deceased, my vice and others.

“We have dumped the corpse in his palace and demanded that he should release those he arrested, stop encroaching on our land and arresting us before the corpse will be removed.

“It was the police that the monarch sent that held him as he was about to evade arrest in his house and was pushed down from the storey building and he died.”

In his reaction, the monarch, who spoke through Ugochukwu Okwosa Owelle, sued for peace pledging amicable resolution to the matter.

“What you people are doing now is worsening the situation, I plead that we discuss as brothers for the good of us all,” he said.

The President General of the community, Chuka Onubogu, who later arrived the palace and took the corpse back to the morgue, described the incident as unfortunate and unintentional.

He enjoined the bereaved to take heart assuring that those still under detention will soon be released.

“I have talked with the CP and he assured me that they will be released immediately,” Onubogu said.