The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has condemned the assassination of a Labour Party (LP) chieftain, Zakari Maduka, directing security agencies to find the perpetrators.
Maduka was killed in the Uturu area of the Isuikwuato LGA.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, on Friday, Otti described the gruesome murder of Maduka as insane, barbaric, and vicious.
The community leader also known as Power Zack was gruesomely murdered, with the yet-to-be-identified assailants making away with his head on Thursday.
According to the police, the 70-year-old native was attacked, shot, and beheaded by his killers while he was at a drinking joint in Amelechi Akpukpa Community.
In response to the killing, Governor Otti called on security services to mobilise and ensure that everyone engaged in the homicide, directly or indirectly, was brought to justice and made to pay a heavy price for their action.
The governor expressed regret over the killing of the late Maduka, who was said to have distinguished himself as the Labour Party Campaign Manager in Uturu during the general elections held earlier this year.
Otti highlighted that the chieftain was a community leader in the fight against kidnapping, and his life was cut short just as he was about to reap the benefits of good governance established by the party.
The governor assured Maduka’s family that the government would stand by them and provide them with all the assistance they needed as they dealt with the tragic loss.
Otti reiterated his commitment to providing total protection of life and property in Abia State in particular and the South-East, necessitating the recent formation of a joint security task force codenamed Operation Crush.
However, the police in its statement on Thursday noted that a joint team which included army personnel was swiftly dispatched to the scene, adding that investigations were ongoing.
The police recovered Maduka’s lifeless body, which was promptly evacuated and deposited at Marist Mortuary Uturu. Photographic evidence was also captured at the scene.
