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In 2016, when Eucharia Agbasimalo, an accountant, tied the knot with her beloved Obiora Agbasimalo, little did she foresee the devastating tragedy that would strike their household five years down the road.
Life had taken a turn for the better for Eucharia as her husband, after a thriving 15-year career in banking with Zenith Bank, made the bold decision to join the governorship race in their state, bringing newfound prosperity to their lives.
Eucharia’s life took a nightmarish turn on September 18, 2021, when her spouse, a candidate in the 2021 Anambra State governorship election representing the Labour Party (LP), was forcefully kidnapped.
Mr. Agbasimalo, a chartered banker, fell victim to abduction in Lilu, a community located in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, during his campaign tour to Azhia, another community within the same council area.
Alongside the former banker, one of the police officers from his convoy was also kidnapped, adding a troubling dimension to the abduction.
His unfortunate abduction occurred with less than a month to go before the state’s crucial governorship election on November 6, 2021.
The news of the abduction left Eucharia in despair, but her outlook brightened when the state’s LP leadership assured her that the abductors had given their word to release her husband once the election was over.
She reported that Clement Ojukwu, the LP National Organising Secretary, who maintained he had communication with the abductors, relayed the messages of optimism to the family.
During this period, the LP leadership remained focused on campaigning for the kidnapped candidate while also assuring the state’s voters that his release would occur after the election.
The party’s decision and actions left Eucharia in a state of confusion.
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‘They (LP) just carried on like nothing happened. They would even carry his posters and placards and be making boasts that they would win the election even in his absence,’ she told Journalists.
‘I was wondering if it was a political stunt. Like do they really know where my husband is?,’ she added.
Eucharia’s perplexity grew as reports surfaced that Mr. Ojukwu, the LP National Organising Secretary, had stated in a press conference that the abductors of Mr. Agbasimalo typically permitted party officials to communicate with him.
‘Since after his abduction, he (Agbasimalo) has not appeared anywhere and his abductors have always spoken to us to assure us that he is alive and we believe he will be out soon,’ Mr Ojukwu was quoted as saying in the conference, about 11 days to the election.
‘We always discuss with them (the abductors) to ensure our candidate is alive, and they (the abductors) let us speak with him (Agbasimalo),’ the national organising secretary added.
Mrs. Eucharia was shocked by the apparent indifference of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and candidates from other political parties, who failed to inquire about her husband’s whereabouts during the signing of a peace accord, despite his absence.
The election was ultimately won by Charles Soludo, a highly regarded banker and former Central Bank of Nigeria governor. He, as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, took the oath of office as governor on March 17, 2022.
The day after the election, November 7, 2021, Eucharia was gripped by anxiety, holding onto the hope that her husband would be released, as the LP leadership had promised.
Eucharia’s devastation deepened when, days after the election, the abductors did not follow through with their promise to release her husband.
Feeling deeply concerned, she made contact with the LP’s National Chairperson, Julius Abure, who reassured her that the party had already done everything within its power, including reporting the issue to multiple security agencies, including the Police in Abuja and the State Security Service (SSS).
Mr. Abure, a lawyer, informed a devastated Eucharia that she and her mother-in-law would need to lead the charge, as he admitted to being at a loss regarding further actions, given the challenges with the security agencies, as she recounted.
Eucharia recounted that the national chairperson stated that, despite the lack of funds to offer, the party was willing to provide additional support to the family, such as arranging press conferences to address the issue.
Repeatedly, she reached out to her husband’s phone, desperately requesting the person who picked up to release him, but her appeals were in vain.
In her quest to find her husband, she repeatedly tried to trace his phone number to pinpoint his location, but her attempts proved fruitless.
Initially, the tracking results suggested that her husband was in Lagos, but on other days, it would indicate locations in Anambra or Imo.
Speaking to reporters, Eucharia revealed that she visited the SSS headquarters in Abuja in November 2021 and was taken aback to discover that, contrary to the assertions made by the LP leadership, the matter had not been “officially reported” to the secret police. She stated that the party had merely “submitted a statement” about their abducted candidate.
‘There was no follow-up, no seriousness attached to it,’ she said.
