Gunmen kill PDP chieftain while returning from Okowa’s victory celebration

Tragedy struck late Wednesday night when suspected hired assassins waylaid the chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ward 4 (Olomu Ward 1) in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr Paul Onomuakpokpo, and snuffed life out of him.

Onomuakpokpo was reportedly returning from the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa’s Supreme Court victory celebrations on Wednesday at about 7:00 p.m along the Ogoni Road near the palace of Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom when he was hacked down in his vehicle.

The victim, who died on the spot as a result of pellets pumped into his head, also had his Toyota Camry (Spider) car riddled with pellets after the assailants had earlier fired repeated shots into the air to scare passersby.

A source who claimed to be with the deceased before he left his home for the victory celebration said the deceased had gone to the home of one of the Special Advisers to the governor.

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”We were at the premises of one of the SAs to the state governor on Youth Development celebrating the victory of the governor on the Supreme Court ruling yesterday.

“Late Paul Onomuakpokpo, who is also the tipper unit chairman of the NURTW in Olomu, told us he was going to collect money from his colleagues, but within few minutes, we heard this horrible news that he had been shot dead,” the source who spoke on phone amid tears narrated.

Tribune Online, however, learnt that a team of security agents attached to the Otu-Jeremi Division of the Nigeria Police were seen conveying the corpse of the deceased to a morgue.

Meanwhile, there’s mounting tension in Olumu kingdom as the tragic news of the deceased spreads across as sympathisers have described the gruesome killing as a case of assassination.

While a top officer at the Otu-Jeremi Police Division confirmed the incident, the Delta State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, could not be reached as of the time of filing the report.