BREAKING: Police Arrest Nine Suspects in Connection to Tragic Murder of Anambra Lawmaker

The Anambra State Police Command has apprehended 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 decomposing body was discovered by the roadside near the Second Niger Bridge in the early hours of Thursday.

In a press statement on Friday, the Commissioner of Police for Anambra, CP Nnaghe Itam, revealed that a joint security team, consisting of police operatives and personnel from the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG), had embarked on a mission to rescue the abducted lawmaker but tragically found only his lifeless body.

“Our discussion today is aimed at highlighting some of the significant breakthroughs achieved by the Anambra State Police Command regarding major incidents in the state during the recent period,” Itam stated.

“Many of you are familiar with the horrific murder of Justice Azuka, the State House of Assembly member for Onitsha North 1 Constituency, who was abducted on December 24, 2024, in Onitsha. This grave incident prompted the Command to intensify intelligence gathering and conduct a thorough investigation.

“In the early hours of February 6, 2025, at the Second Niger Bridge, the joint security team, composed of police and AVG operatives on a rescue mission for the abducted lawmaker, discovered his lifeless body at the scene. (May his soul rest in perfect peace.)”

According to him, on the day the body was found, “the command operatives, in a coordinated operation with Anambra State vigilante personnel, acting on intelligence-led information, arrested nine suspects directly involved in this tragic event and seized two pump-action guns. One suspect sustained a gunshot injury to his leg during an exchange of fire with police operatives.”

The arrested individuals include: Ugochukwu Onuorah (30); Ikemefuna Ossai (20); Ikenna Orugu (27); Chibuike Obiefuna (19); Chinonso Olisa (19); Chinedu Okoli (21); David Ojini (25); and Peter Sunday (20), who is notably identified as the most notorious and bears a tattoo on his chest reading “No peace 4 d Government.”

The Commissioner further disclosed that the command successfully apprehended “one Chidiebere Nwosu, a kidnapping suspect in Uruagu, Nnewi, and neutralised several of his gang members involved in the attack on police personnel attached to the Rapid Response Squad after an arrest on 3rd October 2024.”

He also added: “We have neutralised more than 100 notorious criminals and dismantled numerous criminal camps in Ufuma, Eziowelle, Achalla, Ogbaru, and several other locations in the state.”

CP Itam expressed his gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, “for his guidance and unwavering support,” and also thanked “the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, sister agencies, the media, residents of the State, Anambra State Vigilante operatives, Civil Society Groups, Organisations, and many others for their steadfast assistance during my nine months as the Commissioner of Police in the state.”