One Death Too Many in Anambra Assembly

Within a space of three months, the Anambra State House of Assembly has lost two sitting members, one former member, giving cause for concern to many, reports David-Chyddy Eleke.

On May 15, 2022, the news of the kidnap of a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly filtered in. It was on a Sunday, and like other politicians who use the weekend to go back to their constituencies to fraternize with their people, Hon Okey Okoye, who represented Aguata state constituency 11, had travelled to his area, when he was kidnapped.

This had happened at the very height of insecurity in the state, as many people had been either kidnapped, killed out rightly or dispossessed of their vehicles.

In the case of Hon Okoye who was also representing the Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, in the assembly, he was kidnapped alongside his aide, Mr Cyril Chiegboka. To many too, being kidnapped was better than being killed, as the fate of many others had been. And the belief was that sooner or later, especially after the collection of ransom, he would be released, alongside Chiegboka.

That was, however, not to be, as about a week after his kidnap, a headless body was reportedly found around Nnobi, and his relatives identified the body to be that of the honourable member. Not long after too, his severed head was found in Nnewi-Ichi. His aide was not also spared as he was served same treatment.

 Less than one month after, exactly on June 9,  a former member of the same Assembly,  Nelson Achukwu, who is also living with disability was kidnapped in his home town, Ukpor in Nnewi South Local Government Area by hoodlums, who later beheaded him too.

The headless body of Achukwu was found by his relatives about two weeks after his abduction at a boundary between Uke and Ukpor communities.

A family source who pleaded not to be named had said the deceased has been quickly buried by the family, as his body was already decomposing. The source said: “We couldn’t believe he would be killed after they paid the N15m ransom requested by his abductors, despite his physically challenged condition.”

 Though no news of the attendance of the burial of Achukwu by members of the House of Assembly was recorded, probably because of the hasty burial by his family, on the contrary, Hon Okechukwu’s biurial was more like a sober time for all members of the assembly, who attended in their numbers, to pay their last respect to their colleague. The assembly had also briefly suspended sitting to honour Okoye, while prayers were also said for the members.

But just as members were already getting over the death, yet another member has kicked the proverbial bucket. Last week, the news of the death of Hon Nnamdi Okafor, the member representing Awka State Constituency 1 was announced. Most members of the assembly were in South Africa to undergo a legislative retreat, when the news of Okafor broke. He was reported to have collapsed and died in a Hotel at Sandton City, Johannesburg, in far away South Africa.

Confirming his death, the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, in a condolence message expressed shock over the sudden death of the lawmaker, who doubled as the Majority Leader of the House.

Soludo said, “It is shocking that the State Assembly lost another lawmaker to the cold hands of death, coming barely three months after the demise of the lawmaker representing Aguata Constituency 11, Hon. Okechukwu Okoye. Dr. Nnamdi Okafor was an active participant at the 7th Assembly who devoted his time and energy to represent his constituency. He’ll be sorely missed. On behalf of Anambra State Government, may I use this medium to convey my sympathy to those he left behind, including his family, Awka Constituency 1 and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uche Okafor, as well as other lawmakers. Indeed, life is ephemeral. May the living continue to reflect on the essence of life and live for the good of the society like Dr. Okafor did.”

Meanwhile, while Soludo is seeing life as ephemeral, with likely death of anyone at any given time, the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Ike Oye thinks differently. To him, the deaths at the state assembly are one too many, and needs to be interrogated.

 To interrogate it, Oye called on all APGA members in Nigeria and Diaspora to pray fervently for the Anambra State House of Assembly for God’s mercy to stem the hand of death that has struck the House, killing two of its members in a space of three months.

In a press statement, Oye begged for God’s mercy upon the House as he urged all members of the party to embark on a three-day fasting and prayer for peace, growth and development in the House and in the party as we draw closer to 2023.

“The times in which we have found ourselves are perilous and call for constant prayer, self-examination and penance. I see God doing something new in the House soon,” he said.

He called on the leadership of the Anambra State House of Assembly to join in the prayer and fasting as he used the opportunity to commiserate with the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Uche Okafor and all the members of the House on the sudden death of the Majority Leader.

Though no date has been fixed for the burial, sources close to the late lawmaker, who was also in South Africa said foul play has been ruled out of his death, after extensive investigation by South African police authorities. The source said the lawmaker had successfully concluded his legislative retreat in South Africa, and was billed to leave the next day, but decided to move round the country visiting some indigenes of Awka, who reside in South Africa.

“He had just returned from the tour with his aides, back to his hotel room, when one of them went to get food for everyone. He had said he was going to shower, and would join them when food was ready. When the aide returned with the food, they went to his room to invite him, only to find him lying on the ground, and that was the end of him,” the source revealed.