Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Suspected assassins have killed a former Chairman, Bayelsa State Butchers Association (BSBA), Mr Chibuzor Nwachukwu in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

His death has added to the rising crime wave in Yenagoa and its environs and the challenges of the police face in curbing domestic insecurity.

The deceased, aged 42, from Nkanu community in Enugu State, was said to have been ambushed in front of his residence on Ogilo Street, off Swali Road, and shot in the head at close range, spilling his brains to the ground, a source told Daily Sun.

Investigations revealed that Nwachukwu was returning home from Swali market on Tuesday night when the assailants struck and went away with his shirt and phone after confirming that he was dead.

Nwachukwu’s death threw the entire Swali market into mourning on Wednesday as members of BSBA, who declined to make comments, were seen in groups discussing the death of their former chairman.

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A security source said the police were treating the case as a murder and had visited the crime scene to talk to his family members and residents of the area.

“He was already at the door of his apartment when some boys, who were hiding in the area, shot him. They aimed at his head and shattered his brains. He was killed in an execution-like style, raising suspicion that it wasn’t a robbery attack,” the source said.

“We don’t know the motive behind the killing. He was a former chairman of the butchers’ association and he left the office after some controversies. It has been long he left his office. So, we won’t say it was the dispute that led to his killing.”

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Mr Asinim Butswat, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, who confirmed the incident, said policemen had visited the crime scene as part of ongoing investigations to unmask the identities of his killers.

“On 24 September, 2019, at about 20:00 hours, unknown gunmen shot and killed one Chibuzor Nwachukwu, ‘m’, 42 years, at Ogilo Street, Yenagoa. Investigations are already ongoing,” the police spokesman said.