Pics : Musicologist, Laz Ekwueme flees for his life as youths burn down palace

Popular musicologist and actor, Laz Ekwueme is really thankful for the gift of life after a group of youths attacked and burnt down his palace in Oko, Anambra state.

Trouble started for the traditional ruler last Saturday after a masquerade was shot dead in Oko by security officers.

Igwe Laz had earlier banned masquerades from being paraded publicly during the Oko Okposi festival after a masquerade flogged a female student to death.On the the eve of the Okposi Oko festival, last Saturday, some indigenes of Oko flouted the Igwe's order and publicly paraded a masquerade.

According to reports, Laz invited security officers to disband the masquerade procession. Unfortunately one of the security officers shot dead a masquerade in the process. Following the death of the masquerade, angry residents of Oko besieged his palace and set it ablaze, destroying property worth millions.