Gunmen have abducted a woman said to be an INEC staff member in Anambra State and are demanding N40 million for her release.
The incident happened on Friday, July 24, along the Ebenebe axis in Awka North LGA. According to a report by counter-insurgency outlet Zagazola Makama, Okeke Victor of Ngozika Estate told police his wife, Christy Nkiru, who works with the Independent National Electoral Commission, was taken by armed men.
Police sources quoted by Makama said the case was reported at B Division headquarters in Awka on July 25. In response, operatives from the anti-kidnapping unit, the Rapid Response Squad, and other tactical teams have been deployed to the area.
It was not the only attack on that road that day. A businessman, Emmanuel Nwobodo from Nibo, said he was driving home from Oba Ofemili around 5:45pm when four men in dark clothes opened fire near Ebenebe Community Secondary School. Nwobodo said he sped through the gunfire and later stopped near a Catholic church, where he realized he had been shot in the left knee.
During the attack, his staff member, 40-year-old Tochukwu Afunenu, reportedly jumped out of the Mercedes-Benz with the victim’s ATM card and two phones, and ran into the bush. Voice notes were later allegedly sent from Afunenu’s phone claiming Nwobodo had been kidnapped and demanding N40 million, which made Nwobodo suspicious.
Police said they have started sweeping nearby bushes and are running intelligence-led tracking to rescue Christy Nkiru and arrest those responsible.
The abduction adds to growing security concerns in parts of Anambra ahead of upcoming electoral activities.
