Justice for victims of murder in Anambra

in recent times, there have been disturbing reports about horrendous killings in Anambra State. These criminal acts are carried out either by unknown gunmen or ritualists and sundry criminals. The incidents place a big question mark on the age-long societal values among the Igbo people of Nigeria.

Earlier this month, Nigerians were horrified by the news of the killing of three kids of the same parents by unknown attackers at their home at Nnewichi in Nnewi North Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State. After the act, the killers dumped the bodies of the kids in a deep freezer inside one of the rooms in the house. The siblings – a five-year-old boy and two girls aged seven and nine – were eating while their assailants entered their house and murdered them. The parents of the children were away when the incident happened. It was when the mother of the kids, Chikazor Ejezie, who is a lecturer and nurse, came back from work that she discovered the tragic incident. The devastated father of the children, Ejezie Udochukwu, narrated how he rushed home from Edo State where he was at the time of the incident.

The new Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has vowed to fish out the suspects, saying they resided in the neighbourhood. “We shall unravel the circumstances surrounding such and ensure that the suspects are caught and justice served,” Orutugu promised, assuring that he was in the state to reclaim the public space from criminals.    

Before the Nnewichi incident, a middle-aged man known as Nwanna had earlier reportedly poured petrol on his wife, Chioma Nwanna, and set her ablaze at Eziezekwe village, Abagana, in Njikoka LGA of the state. The couple reportedly had a hot altercation over alleged infidelity on the part of Chioma, mother of five children. The battle to save the woman’s life failed as she died in a nearby hospital the following day. The man is already in the custody of the police. 

Less than a week after this incident, a 74-year-old physically challenged woman was burnt to death by four men and one woman in Abagana community in Anambra State. Police operatives have arrested four of the suspects while the fifth suspect, one Ifeanyi Igwe, is said to be on the run. These criminals had secured a casket to bury the victim before nemesis caught up with them.

Similarly, luck ran out on nine suspected killers of a lawmaker, Justice Azuka, in Anambra State recently when the police in conjunction with the state vigilante operatives arrested them. The most notorious of the suspects whose name is given as Peter Sunday (20) reportedly has a big tattoo inscription on his chest: “No peace 4 d government”. Azuka was a member representing Onitsha North Constituency 1 in the state House of Assembly. He was abducted on December 24, 2024 in Onitsha. A combined team of police and vigilante operatives discovered his decomposing body on the Second Niger Bridge on February 6, 2025.

Azuka’s death was similar to that of the lawmaker representing Aguata II Constituency in the state Assembly, Hon. Okechukwu Okoye. The lawmaker and his aide, Mr. Ulaevuchukwu Chiegboka, were abducted and later murdered and decapitated in May 2022.

Some other disturbing killings in Anambra include the October 2024 killing of about 16 people by some gunmen who invaded Nibo community in Awka South LGA of the state; and the brutal murder of no fewer than 20 mourners at a funeral at Ebenebe in Awka-North LGA in 2022 by some gunmen suspected to be cultists.        

All these show that some Nigerians don’t place high premium on human life anymore. It shows high level of wickedness. If this kind of criminality continues, Igbo land may erupt in serious retaliations.  Security agencies should fish out the heartless culprits of these killings and bring them to justice. Police should explore all clues that will lead to the apprehension of the perpetrators.

The South-East governors must find solution to the spate of insecurity in the region. They formed Ebubeagu security outfit a few years ago, but that has not worked. Each state has an internal security arrangement, but this spate of insecurity requires a collective action because some of these criminals have a network that span across the states of the South-East region.

In a bid to curb the criminality in Anambra, the state government launched Agunechemba security outfit recently. The outfit has been doing a good job. Unfortunately, it was accused of killing three innocent youths at Owerre-Ezukala community in Orumba-South LGA recently.

The youths were said to be workers, but were labelled as unknown gunmen and killed. This is disturbing. We call on the state government to investigate this allegation thoroughly and apportion appropriate punishment to those involved.

We must reorientate ourselves morally as part of the efforts to curb this menace. Citizens, especially community leaders, should cooperate with the government by volunteering information on the movement and hideout of the criminal elements in the society.