Gunmen kill Labour Party candidate, 1 other in Imo

Ahead of the April 11 gubernatorial and state House of Assembly elections, the Labour Party

candidate for the state legislature for Ngor Okpala constituency, Andrew Ugwuezumba was on Tuesday evening, shot dead by gunmen.

Ugwuezumba, who was in his early 40’s and a native of Umenehi village in Obiangwu autonomous community, was reportedly killed at about 8p.m, along the usually lonely Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport (SMICA) Road while returning from  a campaign rally at Umuowa a neighbouring community also in Ngor Okpala.

It was gathered that the assailants trailed the deceased  in an unmarked  Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) from the venue of the rally until they double-crossed his car few poles away from his hometown and shot him on the head.

Some of Ugwuezumba’s supporters, who were in the same car with him, also sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

Reacting, the governorship candidate of LP in Imo State, Ngozi Olehi, who said he was still in shock over the murder of Ugwuezumba, described the attack as barbaric and unfortunate and urged security agencies to fish out the killers.

In a related development, another indigene of Ngor Okpala Council Area, Mr. Bennett Nnaji, popularly known as “Coach” who hails  from Umuekwune Umuorisha in Umuohiagu autonomous community was gruesomely murdered by yet-to-be identified assassins on the same night.

Nnaji, 54 and the only surviving son of his aged mother was said have met his untimely death at Umuowa, few metres away from the Airport Junction, along Aba Road while returning home from his maternal home, Ndiama Ulakwo in Owerri North LGA.

The deceased and a father of three who lives in Abuja, had visited home be with his mother during the general elections.

Though he was killed on Tuesday night, Daily Sun reliably  gathered  but his decomposing body was only discovered yesterday morning by passersby as the assailants had apparently chased him into the bush where they shot him severally and hid his head under his dark-coloured Mercedes Jeep with  Abuja  registration  number CN870RSH.

When contacted, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Andrew Enwerem, said that he had not been officially briefed on the incidents by the Ngor Okpala Police division.

Meanwhile palpable fear have enveloped the Obiangwu and Umuohiagu communities as well as others in Ngor Okpala over the mystery surrounding the double assassination affecting the two sister communities simultaneously.