Immediate past Traditional Ruler of Aro Kingdom and custodian of its heritage, His Majesty, Mazi Ogbonnaya Okoro, also known as Eze Aro of Arochukwu, will be buried on Monday, April 5, 2021.

An official burial announcement by Prof Okoro Ijoma and Mazi Anicho Okoro, chairman and secretary of Aro National Rites of Passage Committee respectively, said that the burial will climax a week-long passage of rites for the late first class Monarch which kicks off on Friday, April 2.

The official funeral announcement made available to journalists on Friday read, "The Aro Kingdom, Abia State of Nigeria hereby announces the passage of the custodian of the Aro heritage and Eze Aro of Arochukwu, His Majesty, Mazi Ogbonnaya Okoro, CFR.

“Eze Ogbonnaya Okoro joined our ancestors and the Aro saints after a brief ‘ovia uwasi’.

“Before ascending the throne, Mazi Ogbonnaya Okoro, who trained in the United Kingdom as a Medical Laboratory Scientist, was pioneer head of Department of Laboratory Technology at the University of Nigeria Teaching hospital, Enugu.

“He retired as the Chief Medical Laboratory Scientist at the UNN in 1988 to ascend the throne.

“The Igbo weeklong rites of passage of His Majesty, Mazi Ogbonnaya Okoro, CFR, will take place from Friday, 2nd to Monday, 5th April, 2021.

“The climax of the funeral rites will hold on Monday, 5th April at the Arochukwu Civic and Cultural Center, Oror, Arochukwu by 10 am.

“Eze Ogbonnaya Okoro ascended the famous Eze Aro throne in 1995 and his reign witnessed tremendous transformation of the Kingdom and growth in inter-communal relations.

“Among other positions, Eze Ogbonnaya Okoro was a first-class traditional ruler and occupied one of the ancient traditional stools in Nigeria and was the custodian of the Aro heritage worldwide.”