In two separate assaults within the Ebenebe area of Awka North, Anambra State, attackers kidnapped an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) worker and targeted a local entrepreneur. Security expert Zagazola Makama reported that INEC employee Christy Nkiru Okeke was seized around 7:00pm on July 24. Her spouse subsequently notified the B Division Police in Awka after the kidnappers reached out to request a N40 million ransom for her safe return.
Roughly sixty minutes prior, businessman Emmanuel Nwobodo was ambushed near the Ebenebe Community Secondary School. Four individuals wearing dark attire fired on his Mercedes-Benz as he traveled back from Oba. Although Nwobodo fled the scene, he realized he had been struck in the left knee, and his vehicle sustained significant damage. During the chaos, his employee, Tochukwu Afunenu, escaped into the brush with the businessman’s mobile devices and ATM card. Nwobodo grew wary after receiving suspicious messages from Afunenu’s phone claiming a fake abduction and demanding a N40 million payment.
Law enforcement officials are actively searching the area and employing tracking technology to find the INEC official and capture the assailants. Investigators are currently determining if the same criminal group is responsible for both incidents.
