Anambra CP vows to re-arrest fleeing suspected killers of lawmaker

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has vowed to re-arrest the two fleeing suspects initially arrested in connection with the killing of the member representing Onitsha 1 Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Justice Azuka.

The CP made the vow when he received the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Somtochukwu Udeze, alongside other members of the House and high-ranking officials of political parties in the state, at the Police Headquarters, Awka, on Wednesday.

Azuka, who was kidnapped on December 24, 2024, while returning home for Christmas, was found dead with his lifeless body found on the Second Niger Bridge, on February 6, 2025.

His remains were buried on Saturday.

But in a shocking turn of events, the spokesman for the police command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the two suspects who were arrested in connection with the murder had escaped some days ago.

Ikenga, in a press statement on Tuesday, said the suspects escaped when they led police operatives to arrest

Their escape was officially announced by the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a press statement on Tuesday.

But during the meeting with the members of the state Assembly, Orutugu called for calm and assured the delegation that the Command is taking all necessary steps to ensure the re-arrest of the fleeing suspect and that justice will be served.

He said, “The command is taking all necessary steps to ensure the rearrest of the fleeing suspects, and justice will be served.

“We are committed to upholding the rule of law and maintaining public confidence in the security architecture of the state.”

The CP further briefed the delegation on the measures already implemented to apprehend the two suspects currently at large, as well as the disciplinary actions initiated against the officers involved in the regrettable incident.

Among those in attendance were the Speaker, Somtochukwu Udeze; the Majority Leader, Sir Ikenna Ofodeme; Jude Ifenanyi Umennajiego; the State Chairman of the Labour Party; and other senior political delegates.

The meeting concluded with a solemn one-minute silence in honour of the late Honourable Justice Azuka.