From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Death has occurred of Prince Samuel Ogwuche Akpa,
an elder brother of the Ata’Igala, His Royal Majesty (HRM), Mathew Opaluwa Ogwuche II.
He died on Monday following an illness
His death came ten days to the presentation of the staff of office to the Ata’Igala by the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
The deceased prince was said to have been sighted in the palace of Ata’Igala at Idah, the traditional seat of the Igala kingdom, on Sunday hale and hearty, cracking jokes with his younger brother to the admiration of all.
It was learnt that the deceased prince who contested for the throne of Ata with his younger brother recently, became ill early Monday morning and died in the evening of the day.
“He died in his mid-60s after an illness in Idah. “The sad event occurred in the evening of Monday the 21st of February 2022,” a source from the palace said.
Our Correspondent also gathered that the deceased suffered from a partial stroke earlier. “If not for the stroke attack, he would have succeeded the late Ata’Igala Micheal Idakwo Ameh Oboni, who had gone on hunting expedition,” said an elder from the palace.
Until his death, late Sam, as he is popularly called, was a retired senior staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Our Correspondent further gathered that an emergency meeting is in the offing to decide the scheduled official staff of office presentation ceremony to the newly crowned Ata Igala billed to take place on 4th March, 2022.