Suspected kidnappers have killed Mr. Chibuzor Nkoro, the official driver to Hon. Obinna Ichita, a former member of the Abia State House of Assembly who represented Aba South State Constituency, ABN TV reports.
Nkoro, an indigene of Eziama in Aba North Local Government Area, was reportedly shot dead on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, along the Ngor Okpala axis in Imo State while returning to Aba. The attackers also abducted a member of Hon. Ichita’s family and demanded ransom for their release.
In a statement issued in Aba on Wednesday, Ichita expressed deep grief over the incident, describing it as both tragic and personal.
READ ALSO: Ebonyi Court Sentences LGA Chairman’s Brother, 3 Others To Die By Hanging
“As you read this, the body of Mr. Chibuzor Nkoro, who until his death was my official driver, is lying in a mortuary in Aba,” he said. “This act of violence has devastated my household. Chibuzor was loyal, dedicated, and hardworking.”
Ichita condemned the increasing wave of kidnappings and killings in the region, citing other alarming cases, including one in which a victim’s family paid a ransom of one billion naira to secure their release.
Reacting to the recent approval of the National Forest Guard Initiative by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the former lawmaker commended the move, calling it a critical intervention in the fight against criminal elements hiding in forests across the country.
“The president has shown a genuine desire to address our security concerns, especially in the South East,” Ichita said. “I hope that with proper coordination with state governments, this initiative will help prevent further loss of lives and flush out foreign elements and their local collaborators who are terrorizing our people.”
He also emphasized the need for a strategic public enlightenment campaign to earn the trust of local communities, many of whom he said have become disillusioned with the nation’s security institutions.
“People in the South East have developed deep apathy toward joining or cooperating with security agencies,” he noted. “Winning their trust is essential.”
Ichita concluded with a prayer for his late driver and other victims of insecurity:
“May the soul of Chibuzor Nkoro and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
