The late Paramount Ruler of Akpor Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, King Anele Orlu-Oriebe.
Uchendu Mark – Port Harcourt
The immediate family of late Paramount Ruler of Akpor Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, King Anele Orlu-Oriebe has broken silence over the death and alleged burial of their king, begging Rivers state government to give them a bone of the monarch for proper burial.
You would recall that late Paramount Ruler of Akpor Kingdom Eze Anele Orlu-Oriebe died on the 15th of June and was reportedly buried at Port Harcourt cemetery in line with directives of Rivers State Government and Nigeria Center for Disease Control for COVID-19.
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The family of the Nye Wey Ali Akpor Kingdom argued that every medical test from the hospital they visited did not show that their monarch died of coronavirus.
The Head of the family, Elder Kingsley Kinika-Orlu called on Rivers State Government to give the family a single bone from the remains of the King for a proper burial, saying that it is a taboo for Kingdom of Akpor to be buried outside the kingdom irrespective of the condition.
Kinika-Orlu while narrating what transpired before and after the monarch was confirmed dead, alleged that he was compelled to sign an acknowledgement document indicating that their Eze died of COVID-19 just as he called on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on Rivers state government to release the remains of the late King for proper burial.
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Kingsley claimed that the king did not die of COVID-19, stating that the act was an injustice against the Akpor kingdom.
“The king did not die of COVID-19. His death is as a result of accident he had in 2017. He went to the hospital that day on his own on Saturday but died on Monday.
“There was no rest carried out to prove that he had COVID-19. It was when he died that we saw three men who came to the mortuary to take his sample. We did not see the test result.
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“The injustice against our monarch is unbelievable. Even if it is his bone they should give us for burial. It is no longer speculation that he has been buried.”
He further regretted that Covid-19 team has not visited the family for contact tracing or testing, adding that contamination of the compound has not been carried out.
The wife of the late Akpor Monarch, Janet Orlu-Oriebe who said her husband died of malaria and typhoid insisted that the corpse of her late husband should be released for her to mourn him in line with the tradition of Akpor and Ikwerre people.
