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Myriad of youths in Ogidi community, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra state have protested death of a youth leader in the area, Chike Okoye.
The deceased reportedly died attempting to dodge arrest of police officers who stormed his Umueze Alor village over alleged land tussle between the community and the Traditional Ruler, Igwe Alex Oyido.
The youths had obstructed the ever-busy Onitsha-Enugu old road and made bon-fires with used tyres to express their grievances.
The protesters who were said to have marched to the deceased house to demand for the corpse, later headed to the mortuary after they were told the corpse had already been deposited at the morgue.
The youths later took the corpse and deposited it at the palace of the monarch.
Speaking to newsmen on the incident Saturday, Chairman of the village and leader of the protesters, Mr Obide Benedith linked the death to the community’s land which he alleged the monarch encroached into without their consent.
Benedith, who spoke in company of his vice, Nonso Agbata, said, “Asking why such should be done, he 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.”
Reacting, the monarch, who spoke through Ugochukwu Okwosa Owelle called for calm, 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.
President 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, urging the bereaved to take heart.
He however promised soon release of those still under detension, saying, “I have talked with the CP and he assured me that they will be released immediately.”
When contacted, Police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed said the deceased died after jumping from a fence in an attempt to evade arrest.
He however said normalcy had returned to the area as a team of police officers were deployed immediately to quel the situation.