Gunmen kill kidnapped Bayelsa monarch

Gunmen have killed the ruler of the Kalaba community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Francis Kolubo, and the Community Development Committee Chairman, Oburo Samuel.

Kolubo was said to have been kidnapped from his palace on Sunday, and murdered at an unknown location, while Samuel was killed at his backyard.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the late monarch had been in disagreement with some prominent indigenes over plans to conduct an election that would produce a successor to the throne based on a rotational agreement of every four years.

But all efforts to conduct the election after the community election committee had sold forms and screened two aspirants were allegedly frustrated by the deceased monarch, who also reportedly secured a court injunction and a state government order to stop the polls.

It was further gathered that an oil bunkering kingpin from the area had mobilised his group to set up a camp in the area early this year.

However, the move was resisted by the slain traditional ruler and the CDC chairman on the grounds that any attempt to tamper with crude oil pipelines in the area would hinder the community’s development.

The hoodlums after the murder reportedly sent a message to the community that the monarch had also been killed and gave the location of the corpse.

A spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident, adding that the corpse of the monarch was found in the Ikarama community.

He noted that the police had launched an investigation into the killings.