A councillor who reportedly represents the Owerre Ezukala community in Orumba South Local Government Area, Anambra State was shot dead in cold blood by unidentified gunmen at a polling unit during Saturday’s governorship election.
The victim simply identified as a local councillor from the area, was said to have been shot dead, but the police have yet to confirm his name and the identity of his killers.
The shocking incident occurred on Saturday November 8, 2025 around 1:30pm at Owerre Ezukala Ward 1, abruptly ending what had been a peaceful voting exercise in the area.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants stormed the polling centre and opened fire on the councillor just as he attempted to cast his vote. Chaos erupted as voters, election officials, and security personnel fled in panic.
A community leader, Odogwu Odemenna, described the killing as a devastating blow to local peace and a grave failure of election-day security.
“My ward is in chaos right now,” Odemenna lamented. “The councillor was shot dead this afternoon while trying to vote. People are furious. Security personnel were around, but the attackers still carried out their mission and escaped.”
He confirmed that security agencies had since been alerted, with soldiers and police officers deployed to comb nearby villages in search of the perpetrators.
“Today shouldn’t have allowed this kind of lapse. Everything was calm until this tragedy happened,” he added.
Another community leader, who requested anonymity, said the councillor appeared to have been deliberately targeted.
“At Ward 1, some armed men drove in, shot him, and left immediately. It was clearly a targeted hit,” he said.
As of press time, the Anambra State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the attack. Efforts to reach the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, were unsuccessful as calls and messages went unanswered.
The incident has heightened tension and fear across Owerre Ezukala and surrounding communities, casting a dark shadow over what was expected to be a peaceful electoral process in the state.
MULTIPLE SOURCES
