Gunmen have abducted and killed entrepreneur Ifesinachi Martins Onyekere in Awka, Anambra State, plunging his family and the local community into grief.
Mr Onyekere, the managing director of Fish Magnet, a brand in Anambra, was attacked on Saturday at his residence in Ezinifite village, Okpuno, located in Awka South Local Government Area.
The attackers, who reportedly arrived in an ash-coloured Lexus SUV, shot him in the leg and whisked him away in his own navy blue Toyota Corolla.
Police confirmed on Wednesday that Onyekere’s lifeless body was later found by the roadside in Awka.
Spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said investigations revealed that the entrepreneur had been trailed by the assailants before the violent attack.
“He was later found lifeless, sparking public outrage and deep concern among residents of Awka,” Ikenga stated.
Onyekere is the only son of Chinyere Onyekesi, the Women Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State.
The police said his vehicle was recovered along the Ukwulu/Igbariam Road by a joint team of police and Anambra vigilante operatives.
The commissioner of police in the state, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has ordered all tactical and intelligence units to intensify efforts to track down the perpetrators.
Orutugu, while condemning the killing, assured the bereaved family and the public that justice would be served.
The murder has drawn widespread condemnation from residents and civil society actors in Anambra, as concerns mount over rising insecurity in the state and across Nigeria’s South-east region.
