Eucharia Agbasimalo, wife of Labour Party gubernatorial candidate Obiora Agbasimalo, who went missing in September 2021, talks to IKENNA OBIANERI about the family’s ordeals over her husband’s whereabouts.
How have you coped since your husband disappeared over two years ago?
We are traumatised beyond words. me, our children, his relatives, and even his friends. Nobody has told us where my spouse is for over two years. Absolute quiet. Family trauma is beyond words. I trust God.
What happened when he disappeared?
During the Labour Party campaign rally for the September 2021 Anambra State governorship election, He was kidnapped in Azia, Ihiala LGA.
Any updates?
I’ve tried. I met with Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s truth and justice commission. My family and I all gave testimony when the commission invited us. They promised to investigate. The governor assured me he was in frequent contact with the Department of State Services and police about the problem. He also encouraged security agents to solve the mystery.
Any arrests?
We are in court with two suspects. The third suspect is at large. No cause has been offered for my husband’s disappearance, and it appears his party, the Labour Party, and everyone else have moved on, leaving us to our fate.
Who’s arrested?
One of them was the driver who drove my husband, and I believe he knows what occurred, although he denied it. Others urged him not to take the road he travelled since it was in bad shape, but he insisted on using it because it was shorter to avoid traffic. The other suspect claims to know the kidnappers and the camp where they held my spouse prisoner and deceived my family by extorting money.
Is only your husband missing?
My husband’s security guard remains absent. Another security officer who escaped informed us that the driver was on numerous phone calls with various people but did not understand what he was saying since he spoke Igbo. The guard stated that he escaped. The driver may know my spouse was kidnapped.
Court case status?
Once heard. It will return next month.
Abductors contacted family?
They have never spoken to us.
How has his Labour Party performed?
I tried to get Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure’s backing before, but he didn’t answer my calls or emails. The Labour Party appears to have withdrawn and moved on. Just myself and my mother-in-law have been pushed around. No one knows his location. While campaigning, they left me to find my spouse. I believed the party was different, more sympathetic, and would fight for the average guy, yet its gubernatorial candidate has been AWOL for two years and no one cared.
They forgot Obiora. They said they didn’t have money but would organise press conferences and speak to the media if I asked. The chairman has only talked to me once, and the organising secretary, who was constantly with my husband, has left. He never called us until today. They told me the Inspector-General of Police and DSS were aware, not realising they were doing nothing.
Was your husband’s car found before he was kidnapped?
To my knowledge, we never discovered the car. Clement Ojukwu, LP’s organising secretary, angered me. I don’t know why he didn’t provide the security agency with the car paperwork to trace. I couldn’t tell if the car was registered without a plate. The party officials hold the paperwork, not me. I just have the chassis number, and the Federal Road Safety Corps couldn’t discover anyone using it.
What happened when your husband told you he was running for office?
It was unexpected. Never considered. I don’t know. I opposed it because my husband is a wonderful guy and we know how politics works in this area of the world. How would he navigate politics? He was a successful banker. I worried about his safety since I wasn’t convinced he was ready for politics’ turmoil. I pleaded for his safety, but he assured me it wasn’t life or death. He said losing would be OK. I prayed for his safety, trusting God would return him to me alive. I never expected to be searching for him.
Did you attend his campaign rallies?
I never campaigned for him or attended his rallies. I was uneasy, not persuaded. I felt afraid whenever I watched him on TV. Both of us had young children and couldn’t campaign. I worried for him and watched the kids. When the election approached, Anambra was a war zone. I worried about his safety. Just my husband was kidnapped out of 17 contestants? He didn’t threaten anyone, and the Labour Party wasn’t as popular then.
Do you believe you will find your husband?
I believe my husband is alive. I believe God can do anything because He is God. He cares for me. He cannot give me a nice spouse and take him five years later. I’m hopeful Obiora will return home alive because he has a future. His kids are constantly asking me when he’ll return home.
When did the party last discuss the problem with you or your family?
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November 2021. The party chairman only spoke once. They stated the kidnappers would free my husband after the 2021 gubernatorial election and not to go to the police or media. If we do, it’s over. My mother-in-law was scared and told us not to discuss it on social media. That’s why I was hospitalised, heartbroken, and bewildered. They told us not to answer calls. Our terror paralysed us. Is just their presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, compassionate? I also tried to contact Peter Obi.
I sent texts to his number, but there was no answer. Calls went unanswered. Because he’s good, I think Peter Obi will help me if I can reach him. He has assisted others, and my spouse is his kinsman. I think he heard the tale, but I can’t reach him. Since they were present when my husband was stolen, the other party members plainly don’t care.
call your husband’s cell phone?
I still call him I called him before this interview. I sent messages to the line even while it was off, but they never arrived. His kidnapped number ceased working three months later. I spoke to someone three times before it stopped connecting. I begged the male voice to let me talk to the phone owner, but he dropped the call. The number is unreachable currently.
Politically, who introduced your husband?
One of his relatives was inspired to enter politics by a police suspect. Because my husband and his sponsor are not politicians, I was frightened from the start. My spouse was sponsored by the guy who introduced him to politics.
Your security agency’s expectations
I urge the government to prioritise this issue. Humans are involved. Everyone has been quiet for over two years. I implore President Muhammadu Buhari, the IGP, the DSS, and the Anambra State governor. Today’s Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, should also interfere. He should see me. He was not a party member when my husband was taken. I’m not blaming him, but I’m asking him to use his influence to help me solve this situation. Let them speak. Nobody has confirmed his death. I just believe he is alive. I need all their assistance.
Your court case expectations
Knowing my spouse has been missing for over two years without any aid, I live in terror. Even the suspects in detention are thwarting my efforts, seeking every means to have them freed. Other unknown persons are also trying to silence me and oppose justice. The previous time we were in court, the suspects boasted to my counsel that I would let them go.
They were living big and responding with nicknames, not like detained prisoners. I’m trusting God. I’m worried since I don’t know my opponent. No idea. I visited the governor, who sympathised and supported me. I visited the senator from my husband’s constituency and the police commissioner. As of today, they have not fulfilled their promises. Our family’s suffering is indescribable.
Who told you about the event, and what was your final conversation with your husband?
On September 18, 2021, he showed me a newspaper with him on the cover after an event. My spouse tells me everything, but he didn’t inform me if he was going to a campaign rally or political event that day. We talked in the morning and prayed for the kids. I worked on Saturday. After leaving, he didn’t answer his phone at 4 p.m. He didn’t call back when I thought he was busy. He didn’t return my calls. I was cooking when his younger brother called to tell me about his kidnapping at about midnight. I miss my husband.
