2 LP lawmakers demand justice for the Anambra lawmaker, late Azuka murdered by kidnappers 

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha 

Reactions have continued to trail the kidnap, murder and dumping at the second Niger Bridge, corpse of the Lawmaker representing Onitsha North 1, in the Anambra State House of Assembly, late Justice Azuka.

Two Anambra State Labour Party, LP,  lawmakers, Fred Ezenwa and Jude Umennajiego representing Onitsha South 1 and 11 respectively who reacted to the gruesome murder of the lawmaker, late Azuka, demanded for justice.

Fielding questions from newsmen, Ezenwa described Late Azuka as a nice man who was at the State House of Assembly contributing his own quota in the legislative  business of the hallowed chamber aimed at moving the state forward.

Describing his demise as unfortunate he stated that, ‘”We  want justice for our colleague, we have left everything to the police to unravel, we have seen his corpse and the culprits, they were not denying it, we are looking up to the Police to tell us if the killing is masterminded one or not.

“His family should take heart and also be happy because Azuka’s colleagues at the House started searching for him the moment we heard of his kidnap, we implored all measures and eventually saw him.

“We did not abandon him, Labour Party House members would not forget his family, we would do something remarkable for the family. We, at the House, led by Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze has lined up things we would want to do for the family”,he disclosed.

In his contribution, Umennajiego stated that, “I’m not just demanding justice for Azuka, but I’m demanding justice for everybody that has been in any way, under any circumstances being involved, especially in terms of all these kidnappings and violence going on.

“We are determined to ensure that people who killed him and others who are involved, who are still planning on how to kill others get justice.

“The establishment of the security initiative by the Governor is a call we expected to start by last year and I am sure if he had done what he did now by last year, murdered Azuka would have not been dead, people thought we were playing politics but we saw what was coming.

“When we said we needed attention for insecurity and hunger to be declared emergency situations, eventually that was not done.

“We, at the State House of Assembly did everything within our power to ensure that the state government is empowered to do that, so the State Government initiating this thing, we can see the positive impact, a lot of people would have been saved if this thing was done earlier.

“As for the positive impact especially in the area of diabetic native doctors, (Dibias), who aid and abet criminalities, all in the name of religion, I want to tell you categorically there are criminals who want to hide under the basis of religion to continue to commit crime. 

“There have been people who have been in traditional African religion but they have never committed any crime with it.

“Of course if you start using your religion to commit crime, the government is bound to come in and crush you, if you see the brazen manner which these people have been acting especially those so called Oke ite, Eke hit and so on, who come out to openly advertise money ritual in the name of African traditional religion.

“What the government is doing should be applauded from the political sphere you find yourself in. The most important thing is that we have applauded it and I can tell you as a Lawmaker who has practised, that there is no violation of any body’s religious rights.

“Our people tend to confuse the pattern of worship, you have the right to worship the way you want but when it entails aiding and abetting crime, it is now an issue where the state government must be involved and also I want you to know that  there are exception of all those places they site as in supporting them doing what they are doing.

“For instance, you are bound not to be arrested and detained unnecessary but when it is for overriding public interest,in this case, a law was made and that law restricts you from performing some certain actions, if you perform those actions, it becomes a criminal act that you are entitled to be arrested, questioned and detained as the law deserves.

“So if anybody said it is restriction on his religious freedom, I do not see where an action is criminalized and somebody said it is against his religion or freedom, what the law essentially is saying is that if you are doing anything promoting success without hardwork, promoting rituals, promoting things that would turn out to be chalatarious.

“what you are saying in essence is that you are violating that law and the constitution does not offer you that constitutional protection,” he further explained.