David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Grief and outrage have enveloped Nimo community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State following the brutal murder of a prominent traditional titleholder and community leader, Chief Ogbuefi Ozo Nnayelugo.

This is coming as a major crackdown on key enablers of violent crimes in the state, led operatives of the state Police Command to bust a drug den in the community.

The respected elder statesman, who was a member of the prestigious Nimo Royal Cabinet, was abducted in his farm by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.

According to eyewitness accounts, the masked assailants stormed the farm, causing panic among workers who fled the scene, leaving the High Chief vulnerable. He was taken away at gunpoint.

Despite the reported payment of a N15 million ransom to secure his release, the abductors killed him.

His lifeless body, bearing deep machete cuts to the head, was later found dumped in the same farmland where he was kidnapped, a chilling end that has sent shockwaves through the community.

A source in the community described the incident as “barbaric and senseless,” lamenting that even after the ransom was paid, the perpetrators still chose to take the life of the revered elder.

Security operatives have since cordoned off the area, and investigations are underway to track down those behind the heinous act.

As of press time, the Anambra State Police Command has yet to release an official statement.

Meanwhile, barely one week after gunmen suspected to be cultists attacked students of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, killing two and abducting two others, police in Anambra State have tightened up security in the area and also raided some drug spots.

In the operation, carried out in the early hours of June 25 by operatives of the Special Anti-Cultism Squad based in Enugwu Ukwu, six persons were arrested.

A statement issued by the state Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, stated that the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, gave the directive  for the operation.

He described drugs as the oxygen behind most criminal activities, saying the raid is part of a larger clampdown on all forms of criminal activities within Oko and its environs.

He said: “The Command believes that this initiative may help to nip in the bud the prevalence of criminal activities and expose more criminal networks in the area.”

The suspects arrested during the raid are: Joseph Chukwura, Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, Ifeanyi Agbanari, Igwe Chineche, Mmadufor Chinecherem, Chibueze Chukwumankpam, and Mmadubom Uchenna. All suspects are male between 24 and 35 years.

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