No fewer than four unidentified individuals were kidnapped, and one known person was killed by gunmen in Anambra State on Saturday night. These incidents occurred at various locations within the state, highlighting a worrying lack of visible security presence.
At Ifite Awka, near the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) gate, two people were abducted after gunmen fired shots. Another person was kidnapped in the evening on Peter Obi’s Agulu-Oraukwu Road. The most distressing incident took place at night in Oye Market, Nimo, Njikoka Local Government Area, where another individual was taken by the gunmen. In Enuavomimi village, Enugwu-Ukwu, also in Njikoka, a man identified as Clement Eduzor was killed by the assailants.
Reports indicated that in each location, the gunmen fired sporadically before abducting their victims. Residents have criticized the police, accusing them of arriving only after the incidents had occurred.
The state police public relations officer, Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed one of the incidents but did not comment on the others. In his statement on Sunday, July 14, in Awka, Tochukwu said the command was responding to the incident at Ifite-Awka.
“The Commissioner of Police Anambra State, Nnaghe Obono Itam, states that efforts are ongoing to arrest the assailants and rescue the victims of the abduction incident on 13/7/2024 captured in a video along Ifite – Amansea road, Awka. Meanwhile, the Police responding team recovered the abandoned victim’s vehicle, and joint security measures/personnel positioning are already in place to forestall such related incidents in the state,” Tochukwu said.
