Police Re-arrest Escaped Suspect In Anambra Lawmaker’s Murder

One of the two suspects who escaped after their arrest in connection with the gruesome murder of the late member representing Onitsha-South 1 State Constituency of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Justice Azuka, has been re-arrested.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Anambra Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga said on Tuesday that the escapee, one Ikemefuna Ossai was re-arrested somewhere in Asaba in Delta State by a team of detectives from the Command.

Ikenga said operatives of the Command had combed various parts of the country including neighbouring countries in search of the escaped suspects.

The PPRO on Tuesday stressed that the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Ikioye Orutugu also apologised to the public over the lapses that led to the escape of the suspects.

The deceased Anambra lawmaker first got missing on Christmas Eve of 2024 somewhere at Inland Town in Onitsha while on his way home for the celebrations.

His decomposing corpse was later found somewhere around the 2nd Nigeria Bridge on February 8, 2025.

LEADERSHIP recalls that about nine suspects were later arrested by a joint security team the day Azuka’s decomposing body was found and were later paraded same day by former Commissioner of Police, CP Itam Nnaghe, who later handed over the following day to the current CP.

The suspects, according to the state police command, escaped when they were being taken to help the police team arrest a suspect who received stolen vehicles from their gang.

Ikenga stated that Ossai was shot on one of his legs when he attempted to escape re-arrest, immediately after he sighted the police team.

The PPRO assured that the Command was still working hard to re-arrest the remaining escaped suspect.