Joan Onyemaechi, the former Delta State Commissioner for Technical Education, was abducted by gunmen during a church service on DBS Road in Asaba, the state capital.

The incident occurred within the church premises, where the assailants fired shots into the air before kidnapping Onyemaechi and taking her to an unknown location.

Onyemaechi recently resigned from her commissioner role to support her brother’s candidacy for the chairmanship of Aniocha South Council Area. She previously served as the representative for Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives in 2015 and was a lawmaker for Aniocha South at the Delta State House of Assembly from 2007 to 2015.

The Delta State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Edafe Bright, confirmed the kidnapping. He reported that during the incident, one of the two police officers assigned to protect Onyemaechi was killed, while the other officer sustained a gunshot wound and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.