Tension gripped the Anambra State House of Assembly today as a group of armed individuals, believed to be operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), made a brazen attempt to abduct Mr. Onyekachukwu Ike, the member-elect for Nnewi North constituency.
In a daring move, four armed men arrived at the Assembly complex in three vehicles and seized Mr. Ike shortly after he had taken part in a valedictory thanksgiving mass for the outgoing seventh Assembly. With their captive in their custody, the assailants swiftly tried to exit the premises, only to be thwarted by alert security personnel who promptly secured the exit gate.
Mrs. Esther Aneto, the Acting Clerk of the Assembly, along with other senior staff, expressed their dismay at the lack of prior notification from the suspected DSS operatives, neither to them nor to the police personnel stationed at the Assembly, regarding their intentions to apprehend Mr. Ike.
However, one of the suspected DSS operatives shed light on their actions, claiming they possessed a court order to effect the arrest of the member-elect.
It was only after the Speaker of the Assembly, Dr. Uche Okafor, and the Deputy Governor, Dr. Onyeka Ibezim, who stood in for the Governor at the Valedictory session of the seventh Assembly, intervened that Mr. Ike was ultimately released from the clutches of his captors. The immediate response from the Speaker and the Deputy Governor helped defuse the escalating tension within the Assembly premises.
The motive behind the attempted abduction of Mr. Ike remains unclear at this time. OduNews.com will continue to monitor this developing story and provide updates as new information becomes available.
