Soni Daniel, Port Harcourt

Unknown gunmen on Sunday killed the wife of the paramount ruler of Obiozimini community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers state.

The death of Beatrice Ewe has thrown the entire community into mourning and has led to a serious division in the once united area.

Our correspondent gathered that the monarch’s wife, who was the President of the Egi Women Welfare Association, had been under threat from some community people to relinquish the position in her own interest.

But sources from the area said the woman met her untimely death at around 7 pm on Sunday on her way to Ede community in connection with the Egi Women Association matters.

The killers of the woman, described as an activist, abandoned her body on the roadside and fled after confirming that she was dead.

It was gathered that before the death of the woman, her husband, Eze Emmanuel Joseph, had been warned by those opposed to him to quit the throne or be ready for the consequences of holding on to the position.

But in a petition to the Assistant Inspector –General of Police in charge of zone 6, Calabar, the husband of the deceased, Eze Emmanuel mentioned some well-placed persons in the community as the masterminds of his wife’s death and asked the police to fish them out for questioning and prosecution.

The royal father averred in the petition that his wife was hale and hearty until she was murdered by his adversaries and dumped on the roadside.

Meanwhile, two persons were killed on Saturday as touts in Port Harcourt pursued a commercial bus driver to extort money from him.

It was learnt that the driver suddenly lost control and ran into two men on a motorcycle at the Emenike-Gambia Street and killed them on the spot.

The touts, on seeing the development, fled the area to avoid being attacked by mob.

But the chairman of the Port Harcourt City Local Government revenue unit denied knowledge of the incident and promised to find out whether those who took part in the action were agents of the council.

The Police Public relations officer Mrs. Ireju Barasua said the two incidents were being investigated by the police.