The Anambra State Police Command has arrested nine suspects linked to the brutal murder of Justice Azuka, the lawmaker representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Azuka was kidnapped on December 24, 2024, along Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha, while returning home for Christmas. His decomposed body was discovered by the roadside near the Second Niger Bridge early on Thursday.
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra, CP Nnaghe Itam, announced the arrests in a press statement on Friday, revealing that a joint security team comprising police operatives and personnel from the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG) had been deployed in the mission to rescue the abducted lawmaker, only to discover his lifeless body.
“Our interaction today is to highlight some of the notable breakthroughs recorded by the Anambra State Police Command on major incidents in the state within the period under review,” Itam said.
He continued, “Many of you are aware of the gruesome murder of Justice Azuka, the State House of Assembly member representing Onitsha North Constituency 1 in the Anambra State House of Assembly who was abducted on December 24, 2024, in Onitsha. This serious incident motivated the Command to go the extra mile in intelligence gathering and discreet investigation.”
Itam further disclosed that on the morning of February 6, 2025, the joint security team, on a mission to rescue the abducted lawmaker, discovered his body near the Second Niger Bridge. "May his soul rest in perfect peace," he added.
On the same day as the discovery, the police operatives, working with the Anambra State Vigilante Group, acted on intelligence and arrested nine suspects involved in the incident. They also recovered two pump-action guns. One of the suspects was injured in a gunfight with police officers.
The arrested suspects are: Ugochukwu Onuorah (30); Ikemefuna Ossai (20); Ikenna Orugu (27); Chibuike Obiefuna (19); Chinonso Olisa (19); Chinedu Okoli (21); David Ojini (25); Peter Sunday (20), who is described as the most notorious with a tattoo on his chest reading “No peace 4 d Government.”
Additionally, CP Itam revealed the successful arrest of Chidiebere Nwosu, a kidnap suspect in Uruagu, Nnewi, and the neutralization of some of his gang members involved in the attack on police personnel attached to the Rapid Response Squad during a successful arrest on October 3, 2024.
"We have also neutralized more than 100 notorious criminals and destroyed several criminal camps in Ufuma, Eziowelle, Achalla, Ogbaru, and other areas in the state," Itam stated.
He expressed gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, for his guidance and support, as well as to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, sister agencies, the media, and residents of Anambra for their continued support over the past nine months.
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