Governor Hope Uzodimma says he could not go to church after the news of Ahmed Gulak’s death, describing his demise as a personal loss.

The governor disclosed this in a radio and television broadcast on Monday in Owerri.

“I was shocked to my marrows when the sad news of his callous murder was broken to me. I was getting ready to go to church when the sad news came, and I could not attend the service again.

“It was simply one of the most devastating news I have had in my life and I am yet to recover from the shock. It remains a puzzle to me why anyone would want to murder him in this gruesome and vicious manner,” he said.

Mr Uzodimma added that Gulak was in the state for a national assignment.

“Alhaji Ahmed Gulak came to Owerri with the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment. Being a humble man, he chose to travel incognito, according to his friend who was with him.

“Someone must have trailed him from the hotel to the airport. That is exactly why his gruesome murder appears to be a clear case of political assassination.

“According to police reports, he was shot in cold blood, and the assailants did not remove a pin from him. It is most benumbing that people chose to waste such innocent blood in such a dastardly and cowardly manner,” explained the governor.

Mr Uzodimma urged security agencies to do everything possible to find Mr Gulak’s killers and their sponsors.

He further stated, “This is not in our character as Igbo people, not in our tradition nor in our culture. We must condemn this callous act.

“I urge everybody to exercise restraint and allow the police to continue with their investigations, which I understand is already yielding positive results as some arrests have already been made.”

(NAN)