By David-Chyddy Eleke
The Anambra State Governor, Mr. Willie Obiano, yesterday morning lost his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Security, Mr. Azubuike Ekwegbalu.
Obiano, who announced the death of Ekwegbalu through the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, said the police suspect that his death was a case of homicide.
Spokesperson of Anambra State Police Command, SP. Haruna Mohammed, confirmed that Ekwegbalu was stabbed to death in his apartment in Awka by assailants.
Mohammed said the police would do all in its power to track down the killers.
Adinuba said: “Mr. Ekwegbalu was a thorough, quiet, unassuming, energetic and dedicated security official whose forte was intelligence gathering.
“To carry out his duties faithfully, effectively and efficiently, he kept a low-profile in the public space throughout the years he was in office as the SSA to the Governor on Security. He was not known to most government officials and declined the use of any paraphernalia that could give him out as an intelligence operative.
“He had in the last few months devoted his infectious energy and acute professional intelligence to monitoring cults in various parts of the state following an increase in the menace of young cult members in educational institutions and elsewhere. The results have been outstanding.
“Mr Ekwegbalu’s tragic death is a serious setback to the fight against the cult menace and crime generally in the state.”
He added that Ekwegbalu’s death has been reported to his family by the state governor.
Adinuba promised that the Anambra State Government, working with the security agencies, would do everything in its power to apprehend those responsible for Mr. Ekwegbalu’s death.
