Obasi Lawson, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Petroleum Retailers Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), was kidnapped on Tuesday, March 4, by some unknown gunmen at the Azumini community, Abia State.
The agency’s national publicity secretary, Joseph Obele, issued a statement on Wednesday, March 6 which revealed that the gunmen ambushed Lawson’s vehicle, abducted him and killed his driver and aide.
Obele condemned the incident, calling the deaths of the Special Assistant and the driver a great loss to the association.
He said, “The incident occurred on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at around 7 pm, when Chief Obasi Lawson’s SUV was ambushed, resulting in the death of his driver, Mr Anayo Ukwu, and his Special Assistant, Mazi Confidence Chijioke, who were with him.
“Meanwhile, the three policemen with them escaped.
“Mazi Confidence Chijioke was a highly respected member of PETROAN, serving as the Vice Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter, Managing Director of Dozzman filling stations, and holding various other positions within PETROAN.
“The association is deeply concerned about the whereabouts of Chief Obasi Lawson and is requesting that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, investigate the three policemen who were part of the team during the incident.”
He urged the IGP to allocate the required resources to secure the release of the abducted BoT chairman.
The agency’s national publicity secretary also extended his condolences to the families of the deceased.
“PETROAN is urgently calling on the Inspector General of Police to intervene in the search for their Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Obasi Lawson, who was attacked in Azumini community, Abia State.
“The association has also extended its condolences to the family of Mazi Confidence Chijioke and the PETROAN state leadership in Rivers State headed by Sir Francis Dimkpa.
“His death is a significant loss, especially since he was preparing to inaugurate his latest multimillion-naira filling station in Port Harcourt,” Obele concluded.
TSJ
