By Chidi Nkwopara
OWERRI—The usually serene atmosphere in Ideato federal constituency in Imo State was badly jolted yesterday as Nze Sunny Orji Ogbu, who was aspiring to represent the area in the National Assembly, was murdered by suspected assassins.

Vanguard investigations revealed that Ogbu, who was interested in flying the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, flag in the 2011 general elections, was killed in his home town by his assailants while returning from a meeting.

Ogbu, until his death, was a successful business man, whose business interest covered a number of fields of human endeavour, including banking and commerce.

It was also gathered that the deceased politician’s convoy, which was usually large, was trailed by the gangsters to a point on the road when the convoy slowed down before the hoodlums released a volley of bullets that silenced him.

Another version of the story surrounding his death indicated that a group of boys who gathered at a point ostensibly to hail him, flagged him down but the volley of bullets came shortly after.

A third version was of the opinion that the politician’s vehicle was double-crossed by the gunmen and shot at very close range, while the killers ensured that he was dead before they fled the scene of the crime.

It was not clear at press time what went wrong in the deceased man’s country home but a politician, who pleaded strict anonymity, confirmed that late Ogbu was a member of Alliance for Good Governance.

Vanguard recalls that this high profile assassination recorded in the state within the last two weeks followed that of the Chief Executive Officer of Romak World Supermarket, Owerri, Mrs Rose Amaka Onyeagwa, who was gruesomely murdered by unknown gunmen close to her Works Layout residence in Owerri.

As in the case of Mrs. Onyeagwa, close associates of Ogbu said that nothing was removed from the late politician’s vehicle by the assassins.

Meanwhile, the image maker of Imo State Police Command, Mr. Linus Nwaiwu, an assistant superintendent of police, ASP, has confirmed Ogbu’s tragic death, adding that the police was already investigating the matter.

“A report about the death of a PDP aspirant in Ideato has been made to the police, but I don’t have the details of the incident for now,” Nwaiwu said.