Anambra lawmaker abducted as police begin search against kidnappers

… recover vehicle

A suspected gang of gunmen kidnapped Justice Azuka, member of Anambra State House of Assembly, representing Onitsha North I Constituency at the night of Christmas eve along Ugwunapampa Road in Onitsha North Local Government Area of the State.

The lawmaker, who is of the Labour Party (LP) recently regained his mandate as a lawmaker after the Court declared him as the winner of the 2023 election in the Constituency as against his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) opponent, Douglas Egbuna, who was initially declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

BusinessDay gathered that the yet-to-be-known abductors as of the time of filing in this report were yet to make any contact to the family of the lawmaker since his abduction on Tuesday while his phone number had not been reachable.

Confirming the abduction, Ikenga Tochukwu, Superintendent of Police and Police Public Relations Officer of Anambra State Police Command, said that Police operatives attached to the Inland Town Divison, Onitsha had recovered the lawmaker’s vehicle.

He further noted that the Command was already making efforts to secure his release and to also apprehend the abductors.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, has charged the deployed Rescue Team to intensify efforts for the possible rescue of the Honourable member.

“Following an intense ongoing operation, police operatives attached to the Inland Town Divison have recovered the vehicle of Mr Justice Azuka, Honourable State House of Assembly member representing Onitsha North Constituency, who was kidnapped on 24/12/2024 by 9:20pm, while returning home at Ugwunapampa road, Onitsha by yet unidentified persons.

“The separate rescue team sighted the abandoned vehicle at Upper Iweka Road”, Ikenga said.

It will be recalled that the abduction of a lawmaker in the State was happening second time as another lawmaker, who represented the Aguata Constituency I in the State House of Assembly, Okechukwu Okoye, was similarly abducted by unidentified gunmen on May 21 2022.

The lawmaker’s head was, however, later found where it was mounted somewhere in Amichi, by the gunmen who beheaded him six days after his abduction.

The lawmaker was killed alongside his aide, Cyril Chiegboka, who was abducted together with him along Aguluzigbo Road in Anaocha Local Government Area of the State.