Professor Frank-Collins Okafor, the University Orator for Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has recounted the tragic murder of Dr. Ossy Chinedu, a Political Science lecturer at the institution, by gunmen in Awka, the capital of Anambra State.

Dr. Chinedu, who was once Professor Okafor’s secretary during his tenure as Head of the Political Science Department, transitioned into a lecturing role with notable dedication and expertise.

“It pains me deeply that ‘my boy,’ someone I mentored, lay helplessly before me in the darkness, looking for help I could not give,” Okafor said. “He was more than a colleague—he was like a son to me.”

Narrating the events, Okafor disclosed that the attack occurred around 8 p.m. on Monday, December 16, 2024, near High Tension Aroma Junction by Benjamin Hotel. He and his wife were on an errand to pay a woman who had supplied materials for a recent parish bazaar.

“Not being sure of the lady’s exact residence, I had to turn back after driving past her house,” Okafor explained. “I pulled into a small link road near Aroma Junction to make a U-turn. As I waited for a space in the traffic, I rejoined the road without suspecting anything amiss. It was dark, and we couldn’t see the faces of the danger looming behind us.”

In a sudden and terrifying moment, they heard the screeching of tires, followed by two gunshots. Acting on instinct, Okafor and his wife leapt from their car and ran into the darkness to avoid the gunmen.

When they returned to the scene, the gunmen had fled with the victim’s car. In their escape, they ran over Dr. Chinedu, leaving him lifeless in the middle of the road.

“I saw a large, young man dressed in a black T-shirt, trousers, and slippers lying helplessly in a pool of blood. His face and body were covered in blood, and he was motionless. It was too late to help,” Okafor recounted with anguish.

Initially, he couldn’t recognize the victim due to the darkness and shock. Hours later, while preparing for the Igwe Achebe Lecture Series, he saw social media posts identifying the victim as Dr. Ossy Chinedu.

The tragedy has left Okafor questioning the state of security in Awka.

“Is this how we are to live in a city like ours? Is this how we make our community great again?” he lamented.

He expressed dismay over the indifference shown by residents in the aftermath of such killings, noting that the once-expected wails and cries accompanying such incidents were absent.

“People in the Aroma area seem so accustomed to such incidents that they no longer react. It’s heartbreaking to see this level of desensitization,” he added.

The incident underscores the urgent need for improved security measures in Awka to prevent further loss of life and restore a sense of safety to the community.