Gunmen kill Ebonyi deputy speaker’s aide

Gunmen on Wednesday night killed Kingsley Obasi, a legislative aide in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.

The victim was the legislative assistant to the Deputy Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Obasi Odefa.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Obasi was killed Wednesday night by the gunmen who had trailed him in Abakaliki, the state capital, while on his way to his house.

A colleague and friend of the victim, Thomas Eluu, who is the legislative aide to the Deputy Leader of the House, Kingsley Ikoro, confirmed the killing on his Facebook wall Wednesday night.

“My colleague at Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Kingsley Obasi, who happens to be a Legislative Aide to The Deputy Speaker shot dead today by unknown men,” he wrote.

The victim was said to be planning his wedding.

A family source said the legislative assistant was killed by suspected armed robbers who also made away with his bag containing money, his wedding invitation cards and other valuables.

The source, who pleaded for anonymity, described the incident as a robbery gone bad.

” Yes, he was the one. I don’t think it was politically motivated. I think it was a case of robbery gone bad,” he said.

The source said the armed robbers accosted the victim and collected his bags containing his wedding invitation cards.

“As the robbers were about to move, he was said to be shouting, ‘it is armed robbers ooo. It is armed robbers ooo’, then they shot him,” the family source said, asking that his identity be protected since he did not have authorisation to speak to the media.

The police spokesperson in the state, Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident.

She said the police command was investigating the incident with a view to arresting the culprits.