Bayelsa suspends monarch

The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has approved the immediate suspension of a first-class traditional ruler, King Boutua Aranka, the Ibedaowei of the Opokuma clan.The monarch’s suspension was announced in a statement signed by the deputy governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, on Wednesday.“His suspension was due to a reported case of falsehood and a misrepresentation of the chieftaincy laws of the state,” the statement said.The statement said a seven-member committee had been constituted to investigate the allegations brought against the monarch and directed him to “refrain from carrying out any duties as the Ibedaowei of Opokuma clan or as a traditional ruler, within the period, pending the outcome of the committee’s assignment and subsequent lifting of the suspension order by the government.”