More revelation out on how killers of Anambra lawmaker escaped, citizens decry incide

Reactions have continued to trail the sudden announcement of the escape of two persons said to be involved in the kidnap and eventual killing of the member representing Onitsha North 1 constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon Justice Azuka.

Azuka was kidnapped on Christmas eve while traveling home for the yuletide, but his body was later found dead on the foot of the second Niger bridge in Onitsha on February 6.

The state police command had announced the escape on Tuesday night through a press release by the state police command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, saying the two escaped while being led to the home of another suspect, who keeps the stolen vehicles used by the syndicate.

Ikenga said when the operatives sighted the accused and went after them to arrest them, the two suspects who led them there took to their heels and disappeared into thin air.

The announcement has sparked off outrage against the police, with many asking how suspects in such high profile case were able to escape.

While many asked if they were not in handcuffs, other wondered how operatives could not demobilize them as they ran. Some have said that the escape was a conspiracy between the police and the syndicate.

A media personality, Mr Uche Nworah has raised some posers over the incident.

Nworah said information available to him showed that the incident happened before the new commissioner of police in Anambra, CP Ikioye Orutugu took over on February 10. He wondered why his predecessor, CP Obono Enaghe Itam could not announce the escape, leaving his successor to discover so, days after.

He said: “The suspects already escaped before the current Police Commissioner, CP Ikioye Orutugu, fwc MNIPS Ph.D took over. Why wasn’t the incident made public? The current Police Commissioner was not aware of the incident until yesterday, Monday, 18/2/2025. This informed his directive to launch a manhunt for the escaped suspects and disciplinary action against the officers involved.

“Why didn’t the former CP, Itam brief CP Orutugu during handing and taking over about this? Is this a calculated attempt to sabotage the efforts of the Governor of Anambra State and the government over their ongoing onslaught to dislodge criminal elements in the state?”

Meanwhile, another respondent who begged to remain anonymous said there is reasonable evidence to believe that the escape was orchestrated by the police.

He said: “What I have is that it was even one of the suspects that drove the police to the home of the man who keeps their operational vehicles, and when they got there, the operatives jumped out and arrested the man, while the two suspects in the vehicle sped off.

“This is callousness on the part of the police. Why will operatives be driven by suspects? This whole story is not clear, and to know that this happened since after how many days and the police kept quiet, and the CP Itam even failed to notify his successor shows that something is wrong. The IGP needs to beam his searchlight here,” the source said.