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The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has decried the assassination of Zakari Maduka, a chieftain in the Labour Party (LP), and has called upon law enforcement to launch a thorough investigation to apprehend those responsible.
Maduka met his demise in the Uturu region within the Isuikwuato Local Government Area (LGA).
Describing the horrific murder of Maduka as insane, barbaric, and vicious, Governor Otti’s sentiments were conveyed in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, on Friday.
The community leader, who was also referred to as Power Zack, met a gruesome end on Thursday when unidentified attackers not only murdered him but also decapitated him, and made off with his head.
Reports from the police indicate that the deceased was brutally attacked, shot and beheaded by unknown assailants while he was chilling out at a drinking joint in Amelechi Akpukpa Community.
Governor Otti, in the wake of the killing, demanded that law enforcement agencies mobilize to ensure that anyone connected to the homicide, be it directly or indirectly, is apprehended and held accountable with severe penalties.
The governor shared his condolences for the late Maduka, who had earned recognition for his role as the Labour Party Campaign Manager in Uturu during the recent general elections earlier this year.
Otti brought attention to the fact that the chieftain had been a respected community leader in the fight against kidnapping, and his life was tragically taken just as he was about to witness the fruits of the party’s successful governance.
The governor gave his word to Maduka’s family that the government would offer unwavering support and supply them with all the help required as they cope with this devastating loss.
Otti reiterated his resolve to provide reinforced protection for life and property in Abia State, and more broadly, in the South-East, which led to the formation of the recent joint security initiative known as Operation Crush.
However, the police, in a statement released on Thursday, acknowledged that a joint team, featuring army personnel, was rapidly deployed to the site, and they confirmed that investigations were underway.
Police officers recovered Maduka’s lifeless remains, which was immediately moved and placed in Marist Mortuary Uturu. Visual evidence was also captured at the site.
