Gunmen suspected to be cultists, have shot and kidnapped Justice Azunda, the protocol officer to Emeka Woke, the immediate past Chief of Staff to the former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
According to Punch, the gunmen on Sunday, June 4, 2023, invaded Isiodu community in Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers State, where Mr. Azunda and others were in a meeting, shot sporadically in a commando style before whisking him away.
It was gathered that the gunmen were led by Onuigwe Nwodi, a notorious cultist who has been terrorizing a section of the East-West road.
The Chairman of Emuoha Local Government Area, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, who confirmed the incident, announced a N2 million bounty on Wordi in a bid to apprehend him and also ordered an immediate ban on motorcycle operations in the area.
“In what I describe as a very sad incident yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. Wordi and his gang invaded Isiodu community where Justice Azunda and some other persons were holding a meeting and they shot sporadically into the meeting,” Lloyd said.
“In the ensuing melee, Mr Justice Azunda was abducted.
He charged members of a local vigilante group called Emuoha Local Government Vigilante Service to assist the security agencies and ensure the victim’s early release.
“Members of the Emuoha Vigilante are up and doing in recent times. They have been in the bush. I have charged them once again to ensure that Mr Justice Azunda is released unscattered,”
“I also want to use this opportunity to say that the bounty on Wordi has been increased from N1 million to N2 million on anybody who has any useful information on the whereabouts of Wordi.
“I want to painfully announce the ban on the movement of motorcycles in the local government from 6 pm to 6 pm. The ban will come into force from June 5, 2023. I know the hardship that this will cause on the people,” Dr. Lloyd added.
