• ‘He Wanted ot Use Me and My Children for Ritual’

There is palpable disquiet in Chokocho Community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State where the Traditional Ruler of the community has been murdered by no less a person than his wife, the Queen.

Queen Gladys Amadi, who confessed to killing her husband, who is the Paramount Ruler of Chokocho Kingdom, His Royal Highness, Eze Napoleon Amadi, popularly known as ‘Agu ne Chemba’, accused her late husband of threatening to use her and her children for ritual purposes.

She further alleged that that it was in the process of attempting to kill her with a machete that she disarmed him and used same machete to kill him, disclosing that the incident occurred on Friday, October 8, 2021.

“He went and brought the knife (machete) and started dragging me and I was screaming. We started dragging the knife and I cut him on his head two times.”

“After he fell down, I became very scared and I called my daughter and my brother in-law to come immediately and we rushed him to the hospital but no doctor was around to attend to him. We went back home where he later died.”

Responding to questions from journalists while being paraded by the Rivers State Police Command at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, Queen Amadi claimed that she raised alarm during the argument that led to the unfortunate incident, but that no one responded.

The mother of two, who informed that her marriage with the traditional ruler has lasted for over 35 years and they have six children of whom only two are surviving, also said that she had earlier reported the alleged maltreatment by her late husband to his family but no one intervened.

According to the Rivers State Police Command, which arrested the 51 year old Gladys Amadi for, the incident occurred at their residence in Igwuruta Community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State.

The suspect has appealed to the people of Umuebule in Etche LGA and the State to pardon her, insisting that the incident was an act of self-defense.

Speaking during the event, Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, after using the machete on her husband’s head, washed off the blood stains on the murder weapon.