Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has pledged a N20 million reward for anyone with credible information that will lead to the arrest of those behind the assassination of the Ideato North Local Government Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sunny Ejiagwu.
The APC Chieftain was killed Thursday night by unknown Gunmen.
The Imo governor described the gruesome murder as “purely a case of mindless assassination, looking at the circumstances of the killing”.
According to him, “considering the fact that nothing was taken away from the man or removed from his car, it should not have been therefore a case of armed robbery, and looking too at the fact that there was no sign of resistance or struggling between the killers and the victim and the method of shooting, the issue of kidnapping should also be ruled out”.
He said, “the man’s head and body were shattered with bullets following several gunshots just to make sure that he had no chance of being revived, and that could only be done by wicked assassins”.
The governor who spoke when political and community leaders from Ideato North Council Area came to officially inform him about the murder, assured that the killers of the APC Chieftain popularly known as Ohaneze will soon be apprehended and made to “face the consequences of their wicked act”.
His words “last night we received a very disturbing news about the untimely death of one of our Party leaders in Ideato North by name Sunny Ejeagwu (Ohaneze) who was murdered at about 8.00pm last night. We have come to a very painful moment of this our political life, to say that those who are behind the killing must be brought to book.
“From what we have heard so far, from reports reaching us about the way he was murdered, it’s obvious, that was not an act of armed robbery and there was no traces of any item removed from him and there was no traces of any attempt to kidnap him rather, that’s an assassination, outright assassination with the number of bullets that ran through his head and body. It shows that this is an assassination”.
He continued that, “this is painful and Ohaneze has no reason to die now. He has just been elected the Chairman of APC, Idearo-North and he is one that is loved by all, but for someone to have gone to take his life, we condemn it in its entirety and we have requested the Security agencies to fish out the killers. We as a government must ensure that these culprits, these wicked souls must be brought to book. We must never allow innocent souls to be destroyed or even people being killed just for nothing.
“I’m here placing a prize tag that whoever can give any useful information as to the killers of Chief Ejeagwu, this government will release the sum of N20m immediately just to make sure we arrest whoever killed this innocent soul. The Security agencies have been directed and mandated within the shortest possible time to produce the killers of this man. We are asking all Imolites to go about their businesses without fear, as security arrangements are on top gear to ensure the security of lives and properties in the State.
“As politics comes up, this is a similar incident that happened many years ago where in the same Akokwa, a notable politician was killed and it looks like it has become the character of Ideato-North to kill around that area whenever politics comes on. I’m yet to classify this killing as politically motivated killing. But even if that is the case, the perpetrators must be brought to book, and we shall use this to show an example that we mean business to fish out the men of underworld,
“Therefore, I and the State government have sent our collective sympathy and heart-felt sympathy to the wife and children and the family of Chief Ejeagwu for this undeserved, unmerited and wicked death that he had to go through in the hands of his murderers. But everyone must know that life is sacred and no one has the right to take another’s life, and whoever does that, whether now or later, must pay the prize,
“So, I sympathize with the family and government will be with this family in this their period of trials and pains. Once more, let me assure all Imolites, all members of APC that we must bring to book, the killers of Ohaneze, and not too far from now” (The Nation)
