A combined security team has found the decomposing body of Hon. Justice Azuka, a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, at the 2nd Niger Bridge.
On Tuesday, December 24, 2024, gunmen abducted Azuka, the representative of Onitsha 1 North Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Azuka was reportedly kidnapped while returning home on Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha.
The abducted lawmaker, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), had regained his mandate after a court ruling ousted the previous winner, Hon. Douglas Egbuna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was initially declared the winner of the 2023 election.
Azuka was reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint in a swift operation that lasted less than five minutes on Ugwunaobankpa Road.
“We have arrested the culprits that kidnapped and killed him. They were arrested very late last (Wednesday) night and they now went and showed the security men where they dumped the corpse,” a security source said
“It is sad and tragic. What a huge loss. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen. Our condolences and heart-felt sympathy to his family, traditional ruler of Onitsha, Obi of Onitsha, Dr Alfred Achebe and the entire people of Onitsha North Constituency 1.”
This highlights the ongoing security issues in Anambra State, where a sitting lawmaker was abducted in the heart of Onitsha.
“Two nights ago, on Tuesday, kidnappers had a field day along Awka Road in the centre of Onitsha, firing several gunshots during an attempted abduction,” the source added.
Attempts to contact SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, were unsuccessful. He requested that our reporter send him a message with the questions, but as of the time of filing this report, no response had been received.
The incident marks the second kidnapping and murder of a sitting Anambra lawmaker in recent years.
