Tony Okafor, Awka
The lawmaker representing the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Okechukwu Okoye, was at the weekend found beheaded.
Okoye, who was kidnapped last week in Aguata was found on Saturday at Nnobi in the Idemili South Local Government Area of the state without his trunk.
A family source, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said,” His body was not there, indicating that his killers removed the body.
“We are suspecting political assassination because some people didn’t want his return to the Anambra House of Assembly again.”
Okoye and one other person were kidnapped in Aguata last week while the Toyota Sienna car he was driving in was abandoned.
The police later recovered the car and said they had deployed operatives to rescue the lawmaker and begun manhunt for his abductors.
While presenting the state’s revised budget to the state lawmakers on Thursday, Soludo informed them that their colleague who was representing him in the House of Assembly was still in the kidnapper’s den.
He said,” I regret that one of you, the member representing the good people of Aguata II Constituency in the House of Assembly (my own representative) – Hon. Okechukwu Okoye, is still in the custody of the kidnappers.
“The security agencies are working very hard and round the clock to secure his freedom. God is on the throne and Anambra will win. Let me leave it at that.”
When contacted on the telephone, the state Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) Ikenga Tochukwu confirmed the incident, stating that the lawmaker had been killed
“His head was found along Nnobi road today (Saturday). There is no suspect in custody yet,” he said.