BY VINCENT UJUMADU

AWKA — Following last Saturday’s killing of a masquerade at Oko in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, youths of the community, yesterday, called on Anambra State government to depose the traditional ruler of the town, Igwe Laz Ekwueme, who they described as being the mastermind of the crisis in the area.

The call came on the heels of a 24 -hour ultimatum given to the President General of Oko Progressive Union, OPU, Mr. Cyprain Nwamuo, by authorities of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, demanding an unreserved apology for dragging the name of rector of the polytechnic, Professor Godwin Onu, into the matter.

The crisis in the community took a dangerous dimension with the alleged killing of the masquerade by soldiers allegedly invited by Igwe Laz Ekwueme to stop them from performing during the community’s ongoing annual Afia Olu festival. An eye witness said the soldiers apparently in an attempt to scare the masquerades mistakenly shot one of them dead.

Addressing reporters in Awka, the President of Oko Youths wing of OPU, Mr. Hilary Ezeokafor, said their traditional ruler had caused so much harm to the community and was, therefore, unfit to remain in the exalted position of the traditional institution.

He also called on the Federal Government to remove the traditional ruler from the board of the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, where he is the chairman.