Panic gripped the Agulu-Nanka axis of Anambra State on Thursday morning following the assassination of an Anambra based legal practitioner Barrister Rolex Ifeanyi Iloakasia, a popular Anambra based lawyer and President General, Aguleri Community.
He was attacked by unknown assailants and shot dead along with his client in Nanka/Agulu border a short distance from the court in Nanka town.
According Maria Ude Nwachi, an eye witness said after the court sitting, he entered his car with the client he is defending when some unknown gunmen double crossed them at Nanka-Agulu boundary on their way back to Awka and shot him along with the client he’s defending and immediately left with their motorbike suggesting a calculated assassination
The tragic incident occurred around 10:45 a.m. along the Agulu-Nanka boundary in Anaocha Local Government Area, shortly after Iloakasia concluded a legal matter at High Court 2, Ekwulobia, and was on his way back to Awka.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants, who rode on a motorcycle, intercepted Iloakasia’s vehicle, shot him at close range, and fled the scene before security operatives could respond. The incident triggered panic and unrest between the two neighbouring communities, with residents fleeing for safety.
According to multiple accounts, the lawyer was shot while seated inside a red saloon car. A second victim, believed to be in the vicinity at the time of the attack, was reportedly gunned down while attempting to escape.
Ifeanyi Iloakasia was a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Otuocha Branch. His wife, Adaobi Iloakasia, is also a legal practitioner and belongs to the NBA Awka Branch. She is currently an aspirant for the position of Vice Chairman of the Awka Branch, in an election slated for next month.
According to the Anambra State Police Command, “the victims were returning from court when they were trailed and double-crossed by armed men operating on a motorcycle.
In a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Ikenga Tochukwu, “The assailants opened fire, killing the lawyer and his companion at the scene. A third occupant in the vehicle survived the attack and is currently receiving treatment in a hospital.”
Ikenga added that “the survivor has been debriefed and provided crucial information aiding an active investigation and manhunt.”
However, a senior police officer who said that the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, described as a combat-trained officer, has launched a manhunt for the perpetrators.
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