Gunmen kidnap ex-Anambra lawmaker, other

A former Anambra State House of Assembly member, Sylvester Okeke, has been kidnapped.

Okeke was said to have been kidnapped alongside another person, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, close to a military checkpoint along the Ring Road in Awka, the state capital.

It was gathered that the lawmaker, who had been missing since Friday, was returning from a town union meeting when the incident happened.

According to a family source, the kidnappers have called the former legislator’s family members and demanded ransom.

The source said, “He is the national vice president of the union. After the meeting, he went to his shop in Agulu, where he sells wine.

“We learnt that it was while he was going back to Awka that he was kidnapped. He was said to be alone in his car. And we learned that they were two that were kidnapped.

“So, the second person might be the owner of the second vehicle that is behind his own, but nobody knows the identity of that person yet.”

Another source in the ex-legislator’s Agulu hometown in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state told journalists that the family members of the former lawmaker were handling the issue secretly so as not to make any public statement that could jeopardise the chances of negotiating his freedom.

A viral video online showed the ex-lawmaker’s car marked ‘Anambra State Legislature, 11A-AA’ and a Toyota car marked LSR 409 GU, parked along the Ring Road in Awka, appeared to be riddled with bullets.

When contacted, the state police spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, said he was unaware of the incident.

“I don’t have such complaint before me, but I will make an inquiry and get back to you please,” Ikenga added.