Otti referred to the horrifying killing of Zakari as irrational, barbaric, and vicious in a statement released on Friday by Ferdinand Ekeoma, the governor’s special adviser on media and publicity.
Power Zack, a prominent member of the community, was brutally murdered on Thursday, and the attackers—who have not yet been named—made off with his skull.
The 70-year-old native was ambushed, shot, and beheaded by his attackers while he was at a bar in Amelechi Akpukpa Community, according to the police.
In response to the murder, Governor Otti urged security agencies to mobilize and make sure that everyone involved in the homicide—whether directly or indirectly—was apprehended, tried, and severely punished.
The late Maduka, who reportedly distinguished himself as the Labour Party Campaign Manager in Uturu during the general elections held earlier this year, was killed, and the governor expressed grief over it.
The chieftain was a community leader in the fight against kidnapping, Otti said, and his life was cut short just as he was set to benefit from the party’s policies of good governance.
The governor gave the family of Maduka assurances that the government would support them and give them all the help they required while they mourned the awful loss.
Otti reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring complete safety of life and property in Abia State in particular and the South-East, which made it necessary to recently establish a combined security task force known as Operation Crush.
However, a combined team that included army soldiers was quickly sent to the area, according to the police, who also underlined that investigations were underway in a statement they released on Thursday.
The dead body of Maduka was found by the police and immediately taken away and deposited at Marist Mortuary Uturu. At the scene, photographic evidence was also taken.