Onitsha condemns killing of lawmaker Justice Azuka, tasks govt on security
By Jeffrey Agbo
Onitsha community has condemned the murder of lawmaker Justice Azuka who represented Onitsha North Constituency 1 in the Anambra State House of Assembly.
The lawmaker was abducted on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, by gunmen while returning home on Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha. His body was found on Second Niger Bridge on February 6, 2025.
The Onitsha community condemned the killing at a town hall meeting held on Monday at Ime Obi Onitsha.
A statement issued by Chief Osita Anionwu, Chief of Staff to the Obi of Onitsha, said participants noted that this incident marked the second high-profile killing of a community leader within four months. The statement said the community was still reeling from the attack on Anambra State Commissioner for Youth Development, Patrick Mba, his wife and the killing of the leader of Onitsha Youth Council (OYC) Kpajie Offiah.
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The community also lamented the recent attack on the chairman of Onitsha North Local Government, Nweze Nwora, urging the authorities to address the growing security concerns.
According to the statement, participants at the townhall meeting recalled Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s declaration at his inauguration that fixing Onitsha was the key to fixing Anambra State which would translate to fixing South-East states and wondered if that remained top on Soludo’s administration’s priority considering the state generates substantial revenue from Onitsha.
They also recalled Azuka’s “selfless service” to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic among other interventions.
“The town hall gathering was shocked beyond belief at the circulation of a disturbing video on social media featuring one of the suspected killers with the body of Justice Azuka in the background which appears to be orchestrated by security agents for self-praise. It was noted that instead of sensationalizing the discovery of the dead body, the authorities should focus on preventing such heinous crimes and ensuring justice is served,” the statement noted.
The community urged members of the public to come together and pay their respects to Azuka at his funeral on February 15, 2025.
