Two weeks on, the body of the kidnapped former deputy governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chudi Nwike, was last Monday found in the middle of the road leading to Alizomor community near Agbor in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.
Sources said that the body was discovered with two unidentified bodies by residents who invited the police.
A police source said the younger brother of the deceased identified him as the former deputy governor who served between 1991 and 1993, under former governor, Dr. Chukwu-emeka Ezeife, adding that the body had been released to the family for embalmment.
The source stated that the identities of the other two bodies were yet to be established and that they have been deposited at the mortuary in Agbor. The late former deputy governor was kidnapped in his home-town about two weeks ago by gunmen. He was taken to an unknown destination where negotiations for ransom reportedly failed to yield results.
His body had a cheque of N30 million hung on its neck with a note which read: "Your death was as a result of your action. You think we are joking."
But Delta State police command's spokesman, Mr. Lucky Uyabeme Assistant Superintendent, confirmed the recovery of three bodies, noting that their identities were yet to be known and the mystery was yet to be unravelled. "There is a signal that three bodies were recovered in Agbor area of the state.
The corpses are yet to be identified and we are calling on members of the public who have not seen their loved ones for some time to come forward and identify the corpses which have been deposited at the hospital in Agbor," he said.
But outrage and condemnations are trailing Nwike's killing. The leaders of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), in Anambra and Ebonyi states, Senators Chris Ngige and Julius Ucha, have condemned the murder of the leader of the party in South-East.
They expressed shock at what they called high level of insecurity in the country and called for proper security of lives and property. The two Senators urged the Federal Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the party leader. Nwike was the National Vice Chairman of the ACN in the South-East.
He had been in captivity of kidnappers for several days before his body was discovered last Monday. Also reacting, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Semiu Okanlawon, said "the continued success of criminal gangs in whatever shade is capable of putting fear in the citizens, jeopardize our freedom and put democracy at grave risk."
He observed that kidnapping for ransom is a crime in which we are all potentially a victim, irrespective of our status, which has festered for long because of the encouragement of success, and which has to be stamped out. "The dastardly act must receive its just trecompense of reward.
I am hereby imploring the law enforcement agencies to fish out the killers of Dr Nwike, bring them to justice and establish deterrence in the land. "Dr Nwike was a complete gentleman, a grassroots mobiliser and a progressive politician who dreamt big for the greatness of Nigeria and freedom of all men. He was a loyal party man and a great pan-Nigerianist.
Also, former ACN senatorial candidate Dr. Ben Nwoye, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to resign over Nwike's murder. Dr. Nwoye, who spoke to newsmen in Enugu, bemoaned the alarming rate of insecurity in the country which he attributed to bad governance by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
He described Nwike's murder as a great loss to Igboland, the opposition party and Nigeria. Nwoye, who is former senatorial candidate of ACN in Enugu East in the last general election, who was a close associate of the late politician, decried the incessant killing of innocent citizens by criminal elements, saying "as it stands today, we are all endangered species in Nigeria, nobody is safe any longer".
Culled from The SUN.
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