Behind Bars: The Unraveling of Azuka's Killers and Kidnap Plot

ONITSHA: Joint security officers in the state have detained no less than nine suspected abductors and murderers of Hon. Justice Azuka, a member of the Anambra state House of Assembly representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency, who was abducted in Onitsha on December 24, 2024.

The source claims that the suspects were taken into custody during a coordinated operation by members of the Special Anti-Touting Squad of Anambra State, SASA, the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, Awkuzu (formerly known as the Special AntI-Robbery Squad, SARS), and members of recently established security groups in the state, Agunaechemba and Udo Ga Achi.

According to a joint statement released to reporters by the security personnel, among those arrested thus far are Prince, also known as Tukwasi, from Abia State; Uzo from Imo State; Ugoo, also known as Ojiekpere; and Kelvin Ikechukwu Ossai (also known as Ikem, 16), from Aboh in Delta state, who lives in Ogbe-Ukwu in Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State.

According to the statement, all of the suspects were taken into custody in Asaba, Delta State, with the exception of two who were taken into custody at Bridgehead following a heated gunfight.

Their operable weapons were also found on them, the statement said. Among these were two pump action rifles that were interred within the grounds of Osa Dennis Secondary School in Asaba, the capital of Delta state.

In a confessional statement, Ikem, one of the main suspects, said that no one had hired us to abduct Azuka. We chose to kidnap him after he happened to run into us during an operation.

The joint team spokesperson, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that the gang members were living comfortably in Asaba thanks to the money they made from their operations in Anambra State, where more than 200 people had been abducted in the previous 12 months. The criminals were using the victims' cars and money to support their extravagant lifestyle. They operated without opposition and were vicious.

According to the squad, attempts were underway to apprehend fugitive gang members, including Nonso and Ugoo Kewe.
Agunaechemba, the recently established security organization in Anambra State, was in charge of this successful operation.

Meanwhile, the unpleasant trend has been followed by additional condemnations.

In a statement denouncing the unsightly trend, the Anambra State branch of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) said it was devastated to learn of Hon. Azuka's horrific death and called it "barbaric and inhumane."

In a statement released in Onitsha, Conrade Vincent Ezekwueme, the Chairman of the CLO in Anambra state, stated: "We condemn the impunity in tandem with Susana Callings' assertion that anyone who kills an innocent person will lose everything he is and he has" in addition to the Scripture's "thou shalt not kill," which means that human dignity, sanctity, and holiness must be respected and protected at all costs."

"May our benevolent God pardon and forget his transgressions and give his gentle and modest soul eternal rest."
His Royal Majesty Igwe Alfred Achebe, the Labour Party, the Anambra State House of Assembly, Onitsha North Constituency I, and his immediate family are among those we pray God may grant the strength and grace to suffer and endure the irreplaceable and irreparable loss.

May they accept our sincere sympathies and know that they are in our earnest prayers during this difficult time. We also praise the patriotism and diligence of the brave security personnel who retrieved his decaying remains and captured the criminals.

"We reiterate our incessant calls to Gov. Charles Soludo to strengthen security and overhaul the state's security architecture. We also commend the determined efforts of the recently established Security Outfit in State, Agunechemba," and we wish them continued success in their difficult task of addressing security challenges plaguing the state and protecting the state," the CLO stated.

In a statement issued by its president, Augustine Chukwudumebi, the Ndigbo Unity Forum, or NUF, expressed regret for Governor Soludo's security shortcomings for almost three years, which is why the state has been under siege by criminals.

"NUF would like to urge Anambra State's executive governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, to improve the security flaws that the state's citizens have been witnessing for almost three years. This issue needs to be taken seriously and should not be handled lightly because the current state situation has brought back memories of the era between 1995 and 2000, when it was impossible to move from one street to another while wearing black nylon, let alone carrying a bag or briefcase."

The governor should stop playing politics with people's lives because those being abducted and killed are people's fathers, mothers, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews, nieces, and breadwinners to a greater number of people. "But if the governor has forgotten so quickly, we the people who were born and grew up in Anambra have not forgotten."

However, because to the carelessness of the governor of Anambra state, they have now crossed their boundaries. It is really disheartening that a man like Soludo, who has visited the majority of industrialized nations and saw how those states are avoiding and combating crime to the bare minimum, is unable to duplicate it in Anambra state.Instead, the governor's political answer whenever the security issue is brought up is that he is a professor who knows everything and doesn't require counsel from anyone or any group.

"To be honest, we are not implying that the governor is not working; in fact, he is working on a number of projects, like making roads motorable, constructing hospitals and schools, and hiring teachers. For him, we take off our caps.However, he failed in the field of life security.Since it is becoming out of control, that is what needs to be addressed seriously.

"NUF hereby proposes the course of action by urging the governors to assemble retired senior officers from the army, navy, air force, police, DSS, and other security agencies and establish a security committee led by a retired army general, all of whom must be natives of Anambra state."

"Secondly, since every crime is local, all local government chairmen, all students-geberal, PGs, Ndigwe, youth leaders, and all market chairmen must be required to establish a strong vigilante that will eliminate these criminals."