Kidnappers cut off former Nigeria lawmaker’s head after taking ransom

Relatives of Nelson Achukwu reportedly found his headless body between the boundary of the Uke and Ukpor areas of the state.

The deceased's family paid the kidnappers a N15 million ransom to secure his release, but it's unclear why they still killed him.

"We couldn’t believe he would be killed after we had already paid the N15 million ransom requested by his abductors," a family source is quoted to have lamented.

According to pulse.ng, the bereaved family members of Achukwu quickly buried his decapitated body on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, as the corpse had started to decompose.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the murdered lawmaker represented Nnewi South II between 2003 and 2007 during the reign of Dr Chris Ngige as governor of Anambra.

He was kidnapped at his home in Ukpor, Nnewi South local government area.

The Anambra State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying that they are working around the clock to apprehend the perpetrators of the crime to face the consequences of their action.

"The victim was abducted at about 10:15pm in his house on June 9, 2022 and efforts were being made to rescue him before this unfortunate development.

"His body was found between the boundary of Uke and Ukpor communities both in Anambra.

"We are still nosing around to ensure that the culprits are uncovered and made to face the full wrath of the law," DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, the command’s spokesman, is quoted to have said.

It is further reported that this was the second time Achukwu was kidnapped in a matter of months before he was murdered.

On his first kidnapping, he was allegedly accused of feeding information to the military, but was later released after they found that they had accused him falsely.

Barely a month ago, a lawmaker representing Aguata Constituency II, Okechukwu Okoye, was abducted and later found beheaded in the Nnobi area alongside his aide.

Nigeria, Africa's richest country has gained notoriety for incidents of kidnapping, demanding ransom, and killing of victims, including politicians, businessmen, clergymen, and other notable and wealthy people.