Gunmen have killed Peter Awa, a lawyer and community leader, in Eke Umudioka, Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
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Awa, who was the secretary of the Okija Progressive Union and Director of Public Prosecution in the state, was shot dead at about 11 p.m. on Sunday while attempting to alight from his vehicle.
The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday. He said preliminary investigations showed eyewitnesses provided details that Awa was shot in the community by unknown gunmen.
Ikenga stated that the Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Obono, has commiserated with Awa’s family, friends, the Nigerian Bar Association, and the Okija community over the loss. Obono ordered an immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for further investigation.
Awa, who was the vice-chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association in Ihiala council area, was elected secretary of the Okija Progressive Union in November 2023. Sources revealed this was the second attack on the lawyer, as his wife, also a lawyer, was kidnapped in January and released weeks later after a ransom payment.
A resident of the community, who pleaded anonymity, stated the attack might be connected to some cases Awa was handling in different courts, describing him as a “cool-headed guy” with no known troubles in the community.
In a related incident on the same night, another resident, Izuchukwu Igwenagha, popularly known as Onwa, was also killed by gunmen in his Isieke village in the community. Sources said Igwenagha’s killing was linked to a protracted land dispute in the area, where he was a key figure.
The killings have heightened tensions in the once-peaceful Okija community as security agencies intensify efforts to apprehend the perpetrators.
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