The Executive Chairman of Etche Local Government Council, Chief Chima Boniface Njoku, has declared 90 days of mourning in honour of the late Ochie of Etche, His Eminence E. M. B. Opurum, who recently passed away.
Njoku made the declaration on Thursday while lowering the Nigerian National Flag at the Council Secretariat, Okehi, in honour of the late monarch.
He also declared the stool of the Ochie of Etche vacant pending the installation of a new traditional ruler.
The council chairman described the late Ochie as a father figure to the sons and daughters of Etche and one of the founding fathers of the old Rivers State.
He noted that the late monarch, who was described as the oldest traditional ruler in Rivers State, represented an enduring institution of the culture, history and traditions of the Etche people.
Njoku expressed sadness over the monarch’s death, describing it as a great loss to Etche Local Government Area and Rivers State.
He prayed God to grant the late Ochie’s family, the people of Etche and the entire state the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
