Unidentified assailants have abducted the member representing Onitsha North Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Justice Azuka.
It was gathered that Azuka was abducted on Tuesday night while returning home on Ugwunapampa Road, Inland Town, in Onitsha, the commercial hub of the state.
Azuka, a chieftain of the Labour Party, regained his mandate after the court sacked the Peoples Democratic Party’s Douglas Egbuna, who had been declared the winner of the 2023 election. He was said to have been whisked away to an unknown location after the abduction.
A close associate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that since the lawmaker’s abduction, his whereabouts have remained unknown, and the kidnappers have yet to make contact with his family.
Details surrounding the incident remain unclear, but residents have expressed shock and called for urgent measures to address security concerns.
When contacted on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident and said efforts were underway to rescue the abducted lawmaker.
Ikenga said, “The Anambra Police Command has activated operational plans for the possible rescue and arrest of the kidnappers of Mr Justice Azuka, Honourable State House of Assembly member representing Onitsha North Constituency.
“The report of the sad event revealed that on 24/12/2024, at 9:20 pm, while returning home on Ugwunapampa Road, he was abducted by unidentified persons.
“The Command is already working on some clues for the possible rescue and arrest of the kidnappers. Further developments will be communicated.”
It is recalled that in 2022, some assailants abducted the lawmaker representing Aguata Constituency 1 in the State House of Assembly, Mr Okechukwu Okoye.
Okoye, an indigene of Isuofia, the same community as the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, was later beheaded, and his head was dumped in a community in the state.