Four more individuals have been taken into custody by the Anambra State Police Command in relation to the state’s kidnapping and killing of three Cameroonian citizens.
According to reports, the victims were killed after being kidnapped in November 2025 and their bodies were disposed of in a river in the Anambra West Local Government Area. Their decaying remains were later found floating on the sea by police officers, which prompted a thorough investigation.
Two people who were allegedly providing information were first arrested as a result of the investigation. However, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer, said in a statement released on Monday that four additional people were arrested on Friday as a result of admissions made by the previous suspects.
Ikenga claims that after a gunfight with security personnel, the accused were captured at a shrine in Nando, Anambra East Local Government Area.
He named the suspects as Michael Ekwunife, 38; Nwabunne Bright, 27; Chinecherem Chiama, 21; and Chukwuemeka Emmanuel, 27, the suspected chief priest of the shrine, also known as “Ugoebenajah.”
Two pump-action firearms, a locally manufactured Beretta handgun, a knife, various charms, extended ammo, ten live cartridges, and five rounds of 9mm ammunition were among the items found at the scene.
Ikenga claimed that members of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, executed the operation based on reliable information from the detained individuals.
About thirty physically fit men were seen assembled at the shrine’s grounds as they approached. Part of the statement said, “The armed men opened fire on the operatives upon seeing the police.”
In a professional response, the police officers engaged the armed individuals in a gunfight. One of the apprehended suspects was shot in the thigh and is presently undergoing treatment at a hospital, while the main suspect, Oroma Etiti Anam native Uchenna Mmaduamaka Nicholas, escaped with other gang members who were wounded by bullets.
The police stated that while efforts are being made to capture gang members who are escaping, the captured suspects are being questioned.
The command reaffirmed its dedication to protecting locals and asked the public to contribute pertinent information to support continuing inquiries.
On November 29, 2025, it had previously reported that police had found two decaying female bodies in a river in Anambra West LGA, which were thought to be those of three missing Cameroonian women.
Ikenga revealed at the time that the sobering discovery was made after a thorough search along the Omambala River on November 28, 2025, by members of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, working with professional divers and community volunteers.
A third suspect was proclaimed at large, he said, while two suspects, Nonso Augustine Akpeh, 37, and Kingsley Akpeh, 44, were first taken into custody to aid in the investigation.
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