Gunmen Abduct PETROAN BoT Chairman, Kill Two Aides in Abia

Gunmen have abducted Obasi Lawson, chairman of the board of trustees of the Petroleum Retailers Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), in Azumini community, Abia State. The attack, which occurred on Tuesday evening, also claimed the lives of Lawson’s driver, Anayo Ukwu, and his special assistant, Mazi Confidence Chijioke.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by PETROAN official Joseph Obele, the assailants ambushed Lawson’s SUV around 7 p.m. while he was traveling. Three policemen who were accompanying him managed to escape.

Chijioke, a respected member of PETROAN, was the vice chairman of the association’s Rivers State chapter and the managing director of Dozzman Filling Stations. His death is seen as a significant loss, particularly as he was preparing to commission a multimillion-naira filling station in Port Harcourt. PETROAN’s national president, Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, expressed deep sorrow over the incident and extended condolences to Chijioke’s family.

The association has called on the Inspector General of Police to intervene urgently to secure Lawson’s release. It has also demanded an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape of the three policemen who were present during the attack.

PETROAN further extended sympathies to Chijioke’s family and the leadership of its Rivers chapter, led by Francis Dimkpa, as the association mourns the tragic loss.