Man Arrested For K!lling Monkey In Awka

Native residents of Awka detained a middle-aged man on Wednesday for killing a monkey.

Killing monkeys is considered a sacrilegious act in the Awka kingdom, where they are revered as holy animals.

The Imo Awka deity, whose temple is located in the town’s Amaenyi area, is worshipped by the indigenous people of Awka during a festival.

Seeing monkeys running about in people’s compounds without any trouble is not unusual throughout the whole kingdom.

In a widely shared video, the man who killed the monkey was shown admitting that he had lived in Awka for 24 years and that he was aware that the locals forbade the killing or consumption of monkeys. He was detained on Wednesday.

He clarified that he had not killed the monkey on purpose but had instead placed a trap in the jungle in the hopes of capturing more bush meat for a delicacy; however, the monkey ended up in the trap.

He said: “I know I have committed, please do not kill me, but you can take me anywhere you want.”

Later, the indigenous questioning him saw the reasons with him and assured him that although he would not be killed, the community would take efforts to satisfy the land’s deity in order to prevent consequences for his conduct.

The man’s identity and place of origin were also unclear as at the time of this report. [CONTINUE READING HERE]