An Octogenarian traditional ruler of Nibo community in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Igwe MC Ngene, has wept over the killing of his son and other youths in the community by gunmen.

Igwe Ngene spoke at the Nibo Civic Centre, when one of the illustrious sons of the community, Chief Kodilichukwu Okelekwe, empowered 20 youths in the area with N20 million.

A few years ago, the monarch’s son, who was a local government chairman, was killed by the rampaging gunmen and 16 others in the community during a burial ceremony.

The monarch, who has been on the throne for 40 years, said his mind had not been at rest since those incidents some years back.

“Any time I remember those scenes in my community, it makes me weep, and they wear me out. And I pray Nibo will not witness such ugly incidents again,” the monarch said.

The monarch, therefore, commended the benefactor, Okelekwe, for being one of the lights in the Nibo community and the coordinator of the empowerment, Chief Douglas Aniemena, for painstakingly choosing the beneficiaries without knowing any of them.

However, the beneficiaries, selected after a rigorous screening process supervised by a committee headed by Chief Douglas Aniemena, submitted viable business proposals to qualify for the grant.

The event was tagged ‘Nibo 20 for 20 Ceremony,’ and was presided over by the monarch

Addressing the beneficiaries, Okelekwe urged them to be courageous, disciplined, and determined to become billionaires from the humble support they received.

He assured that such a gesture could be raised to 50 persons in 2026, adding that it pains him seeing poverty ravaging his people when the means to help are there.

He recounted his difficult childhood days, recalling how his mother, a petty trader in local soup spice, struggled to raise N200 for his university education in 1986. (The Nation, excluding headline)