Otti visits family of beheaded LP chieftain
…says culprits must be brought to book
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti, on Saturday, paid a condolence visit to the family of the beheaded Labour Party chieftain, Mr. Maduka Zachery (a.k.a Power Zack) at Umuchioke-Ezieke, Akpukpa, Uturu in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of the State where he gave a marching order to securty agencies in the state to go after the killers Maduka.
Maduka, the Director -General of Labour Party in Uturu, Isuikwuato local government area of the state, was murdered in cold blood and beheaded by assailants who disappeared with the severed head.
Sources said about 10 hoodlums has stormed a joink where late Maduka, who was also the Campaign Director of Chief Amobi Ogah, the member representing Isuikwuato/Umunmeochi Federal Constituency, and his friends and associates were telaxing in their Community at about 8 p.m.
On arrival, they were said to have started shooting indiscriminately, forcing people in the joint to flee for safety.
However, Maduka who was the head of the village vigilante, reportedly made to confront them but when he realised they were many and would overpower him, he took to his heels, but the hoodlums chased after him, giving him deep matchet cuts till he fell down and they chopped of his head.
During the gubertorial condolence visit, Governor Otti decried the unfortunate incident and urged the bereaved family to take heart. He described the deceased as a committed party man, saying that the loss was not just that of the immediate family but to the party and entire State.
Governor Otti assured that all involved in the killing of the deceased must be brought to book and directed security agents in the State to fish out the perpetrators.
The State chief executive, who noted that it was not easy to endure such a tragic death, however, remarked that no one could reverse what has happened and prayed God to console the immediate family, the Labour Party family and the people of the State.
The Governor, who signed the condollence register on arrival, was accompanied on the visit by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu and his Justice counterpart, Barr. Ikechukwu Uwanna, the Second Deputy Chairman of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Nelson Nmerengwa, among other top government officials.
Before the condolence visit, Otti. had condemned, in strong terms, the killing of athe Labour Party chieftain , Mr. Maduka, by yet-t-be- identified assailants.
Otti, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, on Friday described the gruesome murder of ZPower Zack as insane, barbaric and vicious, and called on the different security agencies to swing into action and ensure that whoever was involved in the killing, directly or indirectly, was brought to justice and made to pay heavily for their ungodly action.
The Governor expressed sadness that the Late Zack who distinguished himself during the last general election as the Labour Party campaign Manager in Uturu and who was said to have played active roles as a community leader in fighting kidnapping, had his life cut short when he was supposed to reap the fruits of good governance being initiated by the Labour Party government.
He promised that the government would stand by his family and give them all the necessary support required as they deal with this sad loss.
The Governor restated his commitment to ensuring absolute protection of life and property in the state in particular and South East in general, which necessitated the recent launch of a joint security Taskforce codenamed “Operation Crush,” an initiative which has caused serious reduction in all kinds of criminal activities in the state, especially kidnapping at the Lokpanta axis of the state and assured that security agents would sustain the robust onslaught against those who desire to build a criminal enclave in any part of Abia state
