Get Guardian on GoogleA traditional ruler, Igwe Nwankwo Osuofia II, has linked the killing of 20 individuals in Nawfia community in Njikoka Local Council of Anambra State to the non-appeasement of the departed soul of the former traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Francis Nwankwo (Osuofia I).
Popularly called FFBC Nwankwo and Africa’s Tallest Man, the late Igwe Nwankwo was a prominent figure in the Peoples Club of Nigeria, an exclusive socio-business class of the bourgeois in Igboland. He was assassinated on February 15, 2000 and succeeded by his son, Chijioke Nwankwo, 25 years ago.
In the last two years, about 20 Indigenes had been brutally murdered, including various incidents, such as the killing of five indigenes on October 8, 2024, the plucking of eyes of two indigenes whose bodies were dumped in the community, the hacking to death of a pregnant woman with two unborn twin babies, the killing of five persons in the Enugwu-Ukwu face-off, the felling of another person at Agukwu-Nri, and the recent brutal murder of four persons in Nawfia by unknown gunmen on December 7, 2025.
In an interview with newsmen on the latest killings in the community, at his palace, Igwe Nwankwo condoled with the subjects who lost their family members. He believed that his predecessor’s spirit was not at rest, leading to the spate of killings in the community.
The Osuofia II said that the Nri people abhors bloodshed and killings, urging for the right actions to be taken, emphasising the need for unity and moving the community forward to achieve peace and stability.
According to him, 25 years after the assassination of his royal father and his succession, enemies of progress and agents of crisis are causing confusion and disputes deliberately. He expressed his intentions to unite the town and address the issues to restore peace and honour his father’s memory.
