DELTA: Olu of Warri indisposed, not dead –Palace director

THE Administration Director of Olu of Warri’s Palace, Chief Clement Maleghemi, has debunked the reports that the eminent monarch has gone to meet his ancestors.

It was widely reported on Monday night that Ogiame Ikenwoli, the Olu of Warri, had passed on after a brief illness.

But reacting to the report, Maleghemi said, the monarch is “indisposed and currently receiving medical care,”

Maleghemi, at a news conference in Warri on Tuesday, described reports of the first-class monarch’s passage as speculative.

He said the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayiri Emami, would brief the public subsequently on further developments.
A statement he made available to reporters reads: “The attention of the Palace of His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, the Olu of Warri, has been drawn to news/social media speculations announcing the sudden demise of His Majesty.

“We wish to notify the general public that His Majesty is indisposed and currently receiving medical attention by a team of qualified medical specialists.

“Any further information on the subject would be made known to the general public by the office of the Traditional Prime Minister of Warri kingdom, Chief Ayirimi Emami, the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom.”

However, in spite of the denial by the Palace, the news of the monarch’s passage generated concerns, debate, and postulations in Itsekiri enclaves of Ugbori, Ugbuwangue, Ubeji, Omadino in Warri, and other communities.

There are speculations that the denial is in accordance with the Itsekiri tradition of not announcing a monarch’s death immediately it occurs.

According to the tradition it could take up to three months before the death of Ikenwoli would be announced.