Insecurity heightens as Anambra governorship candidates go into hiding

A three-term House of Representative member representing Nnewi North and South Federal Constituency, Chris Azubogu, was on Thursday kidnapped and his driver killed by gunmen at Nnewi Anambra State.

It was learnt that Azubogu, a former PDP gubernatorial candidate, defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Wednesday, in Abuja.

In a similar situation, some gunmen invaded the Ajali Police station in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State and set the building and branded campaign vehicles ablaze.

While some policemen were reportedly killed, the number of casualties recorded during the attack were not clear as at the time of filing this report.

The gunmen were said to have stormed a funeral ceremony at Ukpo Nnewi South Local Government Area, where they collected arms from security operatives at the occasion and headed to Nnewi town where they kidnapped the lawmaker.

Gubernatorial candidates in the coming November governorship election in the state have gone into hiding following the development.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, could not be reached on phone to confirm the incident.

Meanwhile, there was a heavy police presence in the state on Thursday evening as the Police Special Squad Commando, with over thirty Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) taking over major security flashpoints at the River Niger bridgehead, Upper Iweka, Nkpor, Abagana, Amawbia bye pass to the Enugu-Onitsha expressway as well as Oba junction along Onitsha-Owerri expressway.

Also, officers and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC have been deployed to their respective duty posts.

According to a release by the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC Command, Mr Okadigbo Damian, the state commandant, Mr Everestus Chimezie Obiayo, had ordered the Head of Operations, Department of Intelligence and Investigations Department and Rapid Response Squad to coordinate security deployments and ensure that officers operated within the dictates of the law.

He noted that the essence was to ensure public order and avert further occurrences.