The Anambra State Police Command has arrested nine suspects in connection with 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 heading 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 released on Friday, Anambra’s Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Itam, confirmed the arrests and explained that a joint security team, made up of police operatives and personnel from the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG), had been deployed to rescue the abducted lawmaker, only to find his lifeless body.
“Our interaction today is to highlight some of the significant breakthroughs achieved by the Anambra State Police Command in resolving major incidents within the period under review,” Itam said.
“Many of you are aware of the brutal murder of Justice Azuka, the State House of Assembly member representing Onitsha North Constituency 1, who was abducted on December 24, 2024, in Onitsha.
“This tragic event prompted the Command to intensify its efforts in intelligence gathering and conduct a thorough and discreet investigation.”
“In the early hours of February 6, 2025, at the Second Niger Bridge, the joint security team, consisting of police and AVG operatives, who had been on a mission to rescue the abducted State House of Assembly member representing Onitsha North, discovered his lifeless body at the scene. (May his soul rest in perfect peace.)”
The Commissioner of Police, CP Itam, further explained that on the same day the body was found, the command, in collaboration with the Anambra State vigilante operatives, acted on intelligence and arrested nine suspects involved in the murder. Two pump-action guns were also recovered in the process. “One of the suspects sustained a gunshot injury in his leg during a gun battle with police operatives.”
The arrested suspects were identified as 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), described as the most notorious, with a tattoo reading “No peace 4 d Government” on his chest.
CP Itam also revealed that the command had arrested Chidiebere Nwosu, a kidnap suspect from Uruagu, Nnewi, and neutralized some of his gang members involved in an attack on Police personnel attached to the Rapid Response Squad on October 3, 2024.
“We have also neutralized over 100 notorious criminals and successfully destroyed many criminal camps in Ufuma, Eziowelle, Achalla, Ogbaru, and other areas across the state,” CP Itam stated.
He extended his appreciation to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, for his 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, and others for their continuous support during his nine months as Commissioner of Police in Anambra.
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