Decomposed Body Of Justice Azundah Found In Shallow Grave

Justice Azundah, a former representative of the Rivers State Government, was found dead in the Elibrada bush in the state’s Emohua Local Government Area.

Agnes Isika Blog has reported that the victim, who served as the protocol officer for Emeka Woke, the outgoing chief of state for Nysesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State, was abducted on June 4, 2023. Read here.

Nwodi Amadi Onuigwe-led kidnap gang shot and kidnapped Justice Azundah from his house in the Isiodu community in Emohua around three weeks ago.

Following the kidnapping, Nwonyi Polycarp Emeka, the state commissioner of police, gave his troops the go-ahead to pursue the notorious gang while Dr Chidi Lloyd, the chairman of the Emohua Local Government Area, set a N2 million bounty on Nwodi.

The kidnap gang leader and three of his associates—including a woman—were later killed on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in a shootout with the police.

One of the gang members who was neutralized and apprehended by personnel of the Rivers State Police Command’s C4i Intelligence Unit showed the police where Justice Azundah’s remains were interred in a shallow grave.

On June 22, his decomposing remains were subsequently removed, bagged, and transported to a mortuary in his hometown.

He pledged that the Emohua local government council, which he oversaw, would do everything possible to guarantee that crime and criminality were completely removed from the region for the benefit of the region’s general growth.

The remains of Justice Azunda were found in a shallow grave at the Elibrada section of the forest between Emohua LGA and Ogbodo-Isiokpo in Ikwerre LGA, according to a statement from Bright Jossy-Elendu, the Chief Press Secretary to the LG Chairman. The team was led by CSP Ofuna, the divisional police officer (DPO) in charge of Rumuji’s divisional police headquarters.

The statement read, “The recovery was made after the apprehension of a member of the already dislodged criminal gang headed by late Nwodi. The suspect who is already currently undergoing interrogation confessed that Mr Justice was killed after his abduction and buried in a shallow grave in the a forest.

“The suspect however took the police to their camp in a boundary forest between Elibrada-Emohua in Emohua LGA and Ogbodo-Isiokpo in Ikwerre local government area where Nwodi and his criminal gang held their victims hostage, very close to the shallow grave where Justice Azunda’s remains was buried.

“Recall that late Justice Azunda was kidnapped by the late notorious kidnapper, Nwodi Onuigwe and his gang in Isiodu community where Mr Azunda and others were holding a meeting and shot sporadically before taking him away with a motorcycle.

“Justice Azunda’s abduction led to the review of the bounty placed on Nwodi and his gang by the chairman of Emohua LGA, Dr Chidi Lloyd from One Million to Two Million Naira and a week after the bounty was reviewed the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the killing of the wanted Nwodi and three other members of his gang including a female by a special crack team who trailed the criminal gang to Ogoloma community in Okirika LGA.

“Until his abduction, Mr Justice Azunda was the protocol officer to the immediate past chief of staff, Rivers State Government House, Chief Engr Chukwuemeka Woke.

“The Emohua council Boss who couldn’t hold back his tears while the remains of Mr Justice Azunda were being exhumed from the shallow grave commending the Rivers State Police commissioner and his men for the success recently recorded in the fight against insecurity in Emohua LGA, enjoined members of the general public, particularly the residents and road users in Emohua LGA to support the government and the security agencies with reliable information to aid the operations of the security personnel deployed to the area, with a view to eradicating crime and criminality in the area.

“Dr Lloyd also supervised the destruction of a temporary structure erected in the middle of the forest by the late criminal gang leader, Nwodi which served as his hideout before he met his waterloo.”