Mbiri Kingdom: Inside Story Of The Death Of A Crown Prince

Mbiri Kingdom is one of the nine kingdoms that constitute Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State. It is a rapidly developing community and boasts of modest government presence most notably the Command Secondary School of the Nigerian Army.

On Sunday the 22nd of September 2019, Mbiri community was thrown into chaos following what people termed as the mysterious death of the Crown Prince, His Highness, Prince Evans Alekwe.

Upon a visit to the community by ASABAMETRO, the natives who were still in shock identified the death of their beloved crown prince as a product of a prolonged infighting among chieftains of the royal family.

According to findings, the royal rumble at the genesis of the events leading up to the death of the Crown Prince is traced to the marital crisis between the King of the community, HRH Obi Ifeanyi Alekwe JP and his erstwhile Queen and first wife.

The King put away his first wife from the palace who bore him two sons including the deceased Crown Prince and took a second wife who is now the incumbent Queen.

ASABAMETRO investigations revealed that the bad blood created between the king and the wife of his youth several years ago, continued unabated and trickled down to the children of both women who are now engaged in a fierce scheming for the crown.

Speaking with ASABAMETRO correspondent on condition of strict anonymity, a resident of the community said that “the King refused to educate the sons born to him by the first wife including the Crown Prince out of sheer vendetta, whereas the children of the incumbent Queen some of whom are being trained in top-notch institutions and are clandestinely being groomed for the throne”.

It was also gathered that the Crown Prince turned out to be a habitual consumer of alcoholic beverages most probably arising from the parental neglect and due to frustration.

On the fateful day of his demise, the Crown Prince complained of stomach ache whereupon he was rushed to KIFA Hospital in the neighboring town of Umunede. It then turned out that the Crown Prince was pronounced dead just upon arriving at the Hospital.

While the cause of his death is still uncertain, some residents who spoke with ASABAMETRO attributed it to health issues arising from a deterioration of the health of the Crown Prince. Many others were nonplussed insisting that the death was orchestrated by mischievous and selfish persons. It was even rife albeit in hushed tones that the Crown Prince was poisoned.

The Late Prince Evans Alekwe Laid on the Traditional Crown Stool

Immediately news of the Crown Prince death filtered into Mbiri community, the youths of Mbiri went on rampage and moblized to KIFA Hospital and took away the corpse of their Prince and made for the Mbiri Palace.

Meanwhile, news of the happenings got to the King who quietly left the Palace due to the fear of the rampaging youths of the community. The youths in an act described as a sacrilege and a desecration of the palace, carried the corpse of the Crown Prince into the throne room and installed it making it to sit on the King’s throne where it stayed overnight till Monday.

Reports have it that, as the community was thrown into unrest following the sudden death of the Crown Prince, and the sacrilegious act of the youth, the Delta State Commissioner of Police as well as the Agbor Area Commander of the Police Division, came around to calm the situation but the youths who were unyielding chased away the Police.

The deceased Crown Prince, Evans Alekwe who is 47 years old, was until his death, not married.