The Imo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of the President of Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Igboayaka Igboayaka, by unidentified gunmen in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
According to reports, the assailants, numbering seven, stormed Igboayaka’s residence in the Works Layout area on Saturday, February 8, and whisked him away.
National President of the Igbo National Council (INC), Chilos Godsent, raised the alarm in a statement on Sunday, calling for urgent police intervention. He described the abduction as a “Neo-Mafia Gestapo-style operation,” revealing that the gunmen, dressed in black, arrived in a Sienna and a Lexus SUV before forcefully taking Igboayaka.
“Since the incident, all attempts by members of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, family, and friends to reach him have failed, as his mobile lines were switched off immediately,” Godsent stated.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, DSP Henry Okoye, said an investigation had been launched to determine Igboayaka’s whereabouts.
“The command has initiated an investigation into the disappearance of the Ohanaeze Youth Council President, Comrade Igboayaka. So far, there is no record of his arrest. We urge anyone with useful information to come forward,” Okoye said.
The Igbo National Council has called on security agencies to swiftly identify those responsible for the abduction and ensure Igboayaka’s safe return.
