Gunmen on Tuesday night killed the President General of the Nimo Town Development Union (NTDU), Chief Tony Frank Igboka.
The victim was shot dead in his Chevrolet SUV vehicle around Nimo market in Njikoka local government area of Anambra state at 8:18 pm, our reporter gathered.
According to the state Police spokesman, SP Haruna Mohammed, there were sporadic gunshots around Nimo market at 8.18 pm on Tuesday.
He said the police rushed to the scene and discovered that one Frank Anthony Igboka was seen in his car driver’s seat laying unconscious in a pool of blood, having been riddled with bullet.
According to him, the victim was immediately rushed to Beke Hospital in Nimo where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor while his corpse was later deposited in morgue for autopsy.
Mohammed said Police’s preliminary investigation showed that the victim was shot at a close range by four armed men who escaped in a Pick-Up Van towards Abacha Eziowelle road.
According to him, 25 expended ammunitions of 7.62 mm ammunition were recovered at the scene.
He also disclosed that the state Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandura, had visited the scene and ordered for a full scale investigation to ascertain circumstances surrounding the incident and also to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The PPRO enjoined the public to avail the command with useful information that could help in arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act through this police emergency number: 07039194332.
Meanwhile, Anambra State Government has announced a N5million reward to any person who could provide useful information on the identity of the killers.
In a statement by the Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C.Don Adinuba, Governor Willie Obiano placed the bounty after he was briefed by the state’s Commissioner of Police.
Adinuba added that the governor also directed the Commissioner of Police to personally lead a team to apprehend the killers immediately.
He noted that Obiano also directed the Department of State Security, intelligence officers in the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy as well as the Nigerian Security and Defence Corps to join the Nigeria Police Force in the task to arrest the culprits quickly.
“Chief Obiano asked the intelligence and security officers to re-enact the same level of enthusiasm and competence they exhibited in the arrest two weeks ago of Ikechukwu Udensi, the most wanted murder suspect in Anambra state, immediately he entered the state to collect illegal revenues.
“You have to display the same commitment and competence this time in tracing the killers of Chief Igboka, who was also a former chairman of Njikoka local government area”, he said.
According to Adinuba, the governor described the killing as utterly heartless, stressing that Chief Tony Frank’s elder brother, Chief Charles Igboka, a former Nigerian diplomat in Europe, died only two weeks ago and was yet to be buried.
“It is a shame that the killing of Chief Igboka should take place in the week leading to Easter when men and women of goodwill throughout the world are reconciling themselves with God and fellow human beings.
“His father, Sir Vincent Igboka, a distinguished papal knight, was a great Christian missionary who devoted his whole being to the spread of the good news. He worked in such a way that he is being considered for canonization in some quarters,” the governor noted.
“Anyone who thinks that he can spill the blood of an innocent Anambra person and go scot-free is living in a fool’s paradise.
“All the persons who have in the last five years attempted to spill blood in the state have been caught by the long arms of the law. Chief Igboka’s killers cannot be different,” he added.
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