News
Anambra massacre: Families of victims frustrating us – police *Vow to hunt down culprits
Despite the crying out that families of the victims of Sunday’s massacre in Anambra State are not cooperating with them, the Anambra State Command, on Monday vowed to hunt down the gunmen who carried out the attack in which no fewer than 12 people were slaughtered, while many others were left with different degrees of injuries.
Nnaghe Obono Itam, Anambra State Police Commissioner, practically accused some indigenes of Nibo community in Awka South Local Government area of not helping matters, stating that they were suppressing information that would assist the police carry out investigation and get the culprits speedily.
The police boss, spoke as witnesses and survivors recount their experience during the incident, which occurred during the celebration of Ọnwa Asaa celebration, a yearly local festival of the community, recounting how the hoodlums, who came in two cars opened fire at the unsuspecting victims at a local joint in the vicinity.
On a visit to the community on Monday for an on- the -spot assessment of the situation, the police boss cited a situation where the relatives of the deceased persons quickly picked up the bodies of the victims and buried them, thereby disrupting what would have provided a lead to cracking the identity of those behind the dastardly act.
Tochukwu Ikenga, a Superintendent of Police (SP) and spokesman of the command, who however conveyed the determination of the command to unravel the identity of those behind the act by doubling its efforts, said: “Anambra State Police command remains committed to the ongoing investigation and to arrest the perpetrators of the cult-related killings in Nibo yesterday.
“The command also frowns at the act of some deceased’s relatives to bury evidence, suppress information and disrupt the ongoing investigation. The Commissioner led Police operatives to the scene, during which he stated that the command had redoubled its efforts to leave no stone unturned in hunting down the assailants.”
The Security Director and Commander of the community’s vigilante group, who identified himself as Wadada, while expressing sorrow over the tragic turn of the annual festival, a beloved tradition for Nibo natives, said: “The attackers entered Nibo through Amawbia during our Ọnwa Asaa festival, marking our new yam celebration. They arrived in two vehicles, a Lexus Jeep and a Sienna, both without license plates. Passing through police checkpoints and the Governor’s Lodge, they opened fire on a group of people in a shop. One of my vigilante men, Uchenna Obiekwe, an only son who was unmarried, was killed.”
He also revealed how many others were injured, including the shop owner and his six-year-old daughter, who suffered bullet wounds to their legs, stating that nobody knew whether the gunmen were cultists, unknown gunmen, or armed robbers, adding: “It was by God’s grace I left the scene before they arrived.”
Another survivor, Ichie Oku, a staff member of the Anambra State Ministry of Information, shared his close brush with death. “You should thank God for sparing my life. I was at a joint on Sunday when they arrived. One of them pointed a gun at me, but another gang member told him I wasn’t their target. Despite this, he still pulled the trigger, but his colleague pushed him at that moment, causing the bullets to hit the wall behind me.”
Oku painfully recounted how three people beside him were killed instantly. The attackers returned moments later, shooting five more people before moving on to Eke Nibo, where they killed four others, bringing the death toll to 12. “It all happened in less than five minutes. If not for God, I would have been the 13th victim,” he said, mourning the loss of two family members, whom he planned to bury the following day.
Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State, on a visit, during which he inspected the Eke Nibo Market as part of his routine monitoring of state activities, also consoled the grieving families and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice, while reaffirming his commitment to eradicating cultism in the state.
The wives of the five engineers allegedly murdered in Ebonyi State yesterday rejected the comments attributed to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, on the development, describing it as an attempt to “sweep the truth under the carpet”. The group renewed calls for an independent reinvestigation into the case.
Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke, and Stanley Nwazulum were reportedly kidnapped in November 2021 while supervising construction work on the Abakaliki Ring Road project.
The protesting women, whose husbands were consultants with NELAN Engineering firm, accused authorities of inconsistencies, interference, and a possible cover-up in the handling of the case, which dates back to November 3, 2021.
In a statement, Mrs. Patricia Onyemeh, Mrs. Lovette Edeani, Mrs. Ifeoma Ejiofor, Mrs. Esther Aneke, and Mrs. Nwazulum faulted Umahi’s claim that the engineers were victims of a communal crisis, as they insisted no such conflict occurred at the time.
They said: “The characterisation of the disappearance of the five engineers as a consequence of communal crisis is completely outrageous, misconceived, and flawed.” The engineers, according to the families, travelled to Ebonyi for an official meeting linked to the African Development Bank-funded ring road project when Umahi was governor.
They said: “Credible accounts indicate that our husbands were last seen in connection with official engagements tied to the Ebonyi Ring Road project. “This raises serious questions as to whether the incident can be fairly reduced to communal violence.”
They further alleged that while investigations were ongoing, Umahi announced that the engineers had been killed and buried, a move they said raised “serious suspicions”. The women said: “This announcement by a sitting governor, while security agencies were still tracking movements, raises grave concerns.”
The women also questioned the sudden removal of a Department of State Services (DSS) investigator, Victor Onyesom, who was reportedly handling the case.
They further accused the police of presenting unidentified skeletal remains to the families without conducting DNA tests. The group said: “The police claimed the remains were those of our husbands, but refused DNA testing.
You risk getting into trouble if you by any means, join in spreading the rumour that Tony O. Elumelu, because it is manifestly false, United Bank for Africa, one of the establishments of the popular Nigerian business mogul, warned on Monday.
Against the backdrop of rumours spreading across the social media, the bank rejected the claims as fake and damaging, saying at no time did the industrialist and Chairman of the Heirs Holdings, divorce his wife, Awele Vivien Elumelu.
The bank, in a statement, which also described the story as also defamatory, and malicious publication, the statement said: “These statements and all similar content are entirely fabricated, reckless, and without basis. The claims are a deliberate falsehood designed to mislead the public and cause reputational harm.”
Stressing that the matter had been reported to law enforcement authorities, the statement, signed by Alero Ladipo, confirmed that three people linked to the publication had been arrested.
Naming those involved in spreading the rumour as Mr Kingsley Akunemeihe (@Directorkem), Mr Chigozie Success Ihebom, and Mr John Surpruchi Nwanorue (@problemchimky), the bank informed that investigations were ongoing and could lead to more arrests and prosecutions.
The statement added: “Investigations are ongoing and are expected to lead to further arrests and prosecutions of all persons involved in originating, amplifying, or sustaining this defamatory campaign. This serves as a formal notice to all individuals, platforms, and entities involved in the publication, reposting, or continued dissemination of this content to immediately cease and desist.
“Failure to comply will result in the initiation of legal proceedings, including claims for defamation, injunctive relief, damages, and any other remedies available under applicable law.
“The UBA Group is resolute in protecting the reputation, privacy, and integrity of our brand, that of Mr. Elumelu and will pursue all necessary legal avenues — civil and criminal — to ensure that all responsible parties are identified and held accountable.”
Abdulrahman Mohammad, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), belonging to the camp of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), all but scoffed at the 13-member Interim National Working Committee (INWC), raised by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) as a non-event.
In a statement, shortly after the committee was announced by Adolphus Wabara, PDP BoT Chairman, Mohammed dismissed claims upon which the body rested its decision after its 103rd National Executive Committee (NEC), describing the development as illegitimate and misleading.
The embattled party boss, who conveyed his position through, Jungudo Mohammed, spokesman of the camp, said: “The PDP wishes to categorically state that no such meeting was convened by the leadership of the party. Consequently, any resolutions, announcements, or claims emanating from that gathering are null, void, and of no effect.”
Stressing the irony in individuals he claimed previously opposed the idea of a caretaker committee, now embracing it, he said every NEC meeting must be preceded with due notification to the Independent National Electoral Commission to be valied.
Hear him: “Even if, for the sake of argument, they possessed the legal authority to convene such a meeting (which they do not), they have once again failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
“Specifically, the mandatory requirement to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a minimum of 21 days’ notice for such a meeting was blatantly ignored. There is no evidence of compliance, nor was INEC in attendance as required by law. This alone renders their actions null and void.”
Mohammed questioned the authority of the BoT, a mere advisory body to raise the 13-man committee led by Taminu Turaki, saying such a move ran against the grains of the PDP constitution, urging relevant regulatory bodies to examine the conduct of those involved, particularly members of the senior bar.
Describing the development as part of a pattern, the party said the alleged NEC meeting was a continuation of earlier failed attempts to create confusion within its ranks.
His words: “We therefore call on all party members, stakeholders, and the general public to completely disregard this illegitimate assembly and its outcomes. It has no constitutional basis, no legal standing, and no binding authority whatsoever.
“The PDP remains committed to upholding its constitution, the rule of law, and democratic principles under the able leadership of Abdulrahman Mohammad and Senator Samuel N. Anyawu.”
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