Nnaghe Obono Itam, the outgoing Anambra State Commissioner of Police, says over 100 notorious criminals have been killed in the past nine months.
He revealed that security operatives had successfully destroyed many criminal camps in Ufuma, Eziowelle, Achalla, Ogbaru, and several other locations in the state during the period.
The commissioner made this disclosure on Friday evening while parading the nine suspected kidnappers of the state lawmaker, Justice Azuka, at the Police Headquarters, Awka.
“Many of you are aware of the gruesome murder of Hon. Justice Azuka, the Honourable State House of Assembly member representing Onitsha North Constituency 1 in the Anambra State House of Assembly, who was abducted on Dec. 24, 2024, in Onitsha. This serious incident motivated the command to go the extra mile in intelligence gathering and discreet investigation.
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In the early hours of Feb. 6, at the second Niger Bridge, the joint security team comprising the Police and AVG operatives, on a mission to rescue the abducted honourable member, regrettably found his lifeless body at the scene. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
Given the above, on the same day, the command operatives, in a joint operation with Anambra State Vigilante operatives, acting on intelligence-led information, arrested nine suspects actively involved in this unfortunate incident and recovered two pump-action guns.
“One of the suspects sustained a gunshot injury in his leg during a gun duel with the police operatives,” he noted.
Itam listed the names of the arrested suspects as: Ugochukwu Onuorah, aged 30; Ikemefuna Ossai, aged 20; Ikenna Orugu, aged 27; Chibuike Obiefuna, aged 19; Chinonso Olisa, aged 19; Chinedu Okoli, aged 21; David Ojini, aged 25; and the most notorious of them all, Peter Sunday, aged 20, with a large tattoo inscription of “No Peace 4 d Government” on his chest.
He further stated that the command operatives successfully arrested one Chidiebere Nwosu, a kidnap suspect in Uruagu, Nnewi, and neutralized some of his gang members involved in the attack on police personnel attached to the Rapid Response Squad after a successful arrest on Oct. 3, 2024.
One of the suspects who allegedly shot the honourable member dead, Ugochukwu Onuorah, aged 30, denied pulling the trigger to kill him.
He, however, said that the late lawmaker was beaten to death by them after his family members failed to pay N20 million ransom.
“We did not collect any money from him. We asked for N20 million, but he did not give us,” he added.
His co-suspects said that Onuorah was the person who shot Azuka dead, despite their advice against it.
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