Abducted Anambra lawmaker, Justice Azuka found dead, former NYSC boss kidnapped

HURIWA condemns incidents, seeks death sentence for kidnappers
The decomposing body of a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Justice Azuka, has been discovered on the Second Niger Bridge.

Azuka’s body was discovered by a combined security team about 42 days after his abduction.

The lawmaker representing Onitsha North Constituency 1 was kidnapped on December 24, 2024, on Ugwunabankpa Road, Inland Town, Onitsha.

After weeks of investigation, security operatives from Abuja apprehended the suspects late on Wednesday.

The arrested individuals later led authorities to the location where they had dumped the lawmaker’s remains.

Police authorities in Anambra State have said details of the incident are sketchy.

However, the spokesperson of the command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said police operatives had been deployed to the scene.

According to him, further details would be made known to the public in due course.

The incident marks the second kidnapping and murder of a sitting Anambra lawmaker in recent years.

In 2022, Okey Okoye, popularly known as “Okey Di Ok” from Aguata, was abducted and beheaded.

His body was later found around the Nnobi area of the state.

Also, suspected bandits yesterday killed one person and abducted the former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga (retired), in Tsiga village, Bakori Local Council of Katsina State.

The bandits also abducted at least nine others and ransacked several homes, stealing valuables.

The attack occurred at about 12:30 a.m. when the armed men stormed the community, one of them shooting sporadically to scare residents.

It was learned that the bandits had planned to operate and retreat quietly without firing their weapons, but one of them chose to shoot.

It was gathered that the other bandits, angered by the shooting, shot and killed their colleague.

The bandits then forced the kidnapped victims to carry the body into the forest.

The community has been left in shock, especially over the abduction of the former NYSC boss, a respected leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

The spokesperson for the police command in the state, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, did not immediately respond to calls and text messages regarding the matter.

Reacting, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) condemned the attack on Tsiga community, the abduction of the former Director-General of the NYSC, and the discovery of the body of Justice Azuka.

The group stated that these incidents demonstrate that the government, at both national and sub-national levels, is treating kidnappers leniently.

HURIWA argued that the success of these high-profile kidnappings, coupled with the apparent incompetence and inaction of security forces, highlights the lack of functional intelligence gathering and proactive policing in Nigeria.

HURIWA questioned why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains satisfied with the performance of his service chiefs, including the Inspector-General of Police and the heads of internal security institutions, who, it claimed, have demonstrably failed in their duties despite receiving public funds.

“Why has President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government not sacked these poorly performing security heads that he appointed?” the group asked.

In a statement by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA reiterated its call for the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to amend relevant laws, classifying kidnapping as a crime against humanity punishable by death.