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Tag: Anambra

  • Anambra governorship elections: INEC register 96,085 new voters in nine days

    Anambra governorship elections: INEC register 96,085 new voters in nine days

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Thursday that it has so far registered about 96,085 in the last nine days of the continuous voter registration exercise ahead of the November governorship election in Anambra state. 

    The Commission however announced the extension of the exercise by another three days to allow more eligible voters register. 

    A statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee of the Commission, Sam Olumekun said the exercise will now close on Sunday. 

    The Commission also announced that five more political associations have submitted letter of intent to be registered as political party, bring the numbernso far to 135.

    The statement reads “the Commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Thursday 17th July 2025. Among other issues, the meeting reviewed the ongoing preparation for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Anambra State and further update on applications for registration by new political parties.

    “The Commission is pleased with the turnout of registrants in Anambra State and the peaceful conduct of the CVR in all the 326 registration centres in the State. As of yesterday, Wednesday 16th July 2025, 96,085 new voters have successfully registered in nine days. 

    “On average, the Commission registered over 10,600 voters per day. In addition, 12,595 voters applied for transfer of their registration both within and outside the State while 7,061 persons applied for the update of their records or the replacement of their damaged or lost Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs). 

    “The CVR in Anambra State ends today. However, in response to appeal from citizens, the Commission hereby extends the exercise for three more days. It will now end on Sunday 20th July 2025. 

    “Thereafter, the Commission will display the register for claims and objections by citizens as provided by law, followed by a further clean-up of the data using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). 

    Read Also: INEC warns against mistakes in nomination process

    “Subsequently, the detailed breakdown of the new registrants by age, gender, occupation and disability will be published for public information. At this preliminary stage, 56,017 (58%) of new registrants are female while 50,429 (52.48%) are young people between the ages of 18 and 34. 

    “Meanwhile, the Commission has received five more letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties. This brings the number received so far to 134. 

    “The details of the new associations, indicating their proposed names, acronyms, logos, addresses and interim leaderships are published on our website and other platforms for public information.

    “The Commission will continue to keep the citizens up to date on all its activities”.

  • FRSC recovers stolen vehicle three years after in Anambra 

    FRSC recovers stolen vehicle three years after in Anambra 

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Anambra State Command has recovered suspected stolen vehicle at the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) Desk Office in Nteje, Oyi local government area.

    Sector Public Education Officer, Margaret Onabe, who disclosed this on Wednesday said the recovery followed collaborative efforts of FRSC and other security agencies in the State. 

    She said the vehicle was discovered after an agent of the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) sent vehicle information for verification, which revealed that the vehicle had been missing for some time.

    “Upon verification, the owner was contacted and confirmed that she had not seen the vehicle in three years. 

    “The owner provided original documents to prove ownership, and the Police from the Anambra State Command were immediately involved to take further action.

    “The recovery of the vehicle is a result of the collaborative efforts of the FRSC and other security agencies in the State. 

    “The Command is working to ensure that the vehicle is returned to its rightful owner.”

    Reacting, Sector Commander, Corps Commander Joyce Alexander described the feat as testament to effectiveness of NVIS database of the Command.

    Read Also: Rainy season: FRSC issues safety warning to motorists

    She commended efforts of her personnel and partner agencies in the recovery of the stolen vehicle. 

    “We urge all vehicle owners to ensure that their number plates are uploaded into the NVIS portal for ease of tracking and identification. 

    “This will enable us to respond promptly to stolen vehicle reports and recover them quickly.

    “The Command remains committed to enhancing road safety and security in Anambra State through the effective use of technology and collaboration with other security agencies.”

  • Anambra mayhem: survivors, families cry out

    Anambra mayhem: survivors, families cry out

    • APC candidate Ukachukwu visits community

    Some of the survivors of last week’s massacre of eleven persons of Ebonyi State indigenes in Anambra State, have relived their experiences during the mayhem.

     They thanked God for preserving their lives.

    Speaking under anonymity for fear of being hunted down by the assailants, the survivors likened the incident to what you see in horror films.

    They spoke when the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 8 election, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, of the Ikukuoma Foundation, visited them in the hospital.

     Still afraid for their lives, while speaking with The Nation,  they said they survived through the act of God.

    It will be recalled that the incident happened at Ogboji Community, Orumba South Local Government Area, and was allegedly perpetrated by members of the proscribed Biafran agitators.

    Ukachukwu was represented by top officers of Ikukuoma Foundation (IF) led by Hon. Tony Ezekwelu, a former Majority Leader in the Anambra State Assembly and Chief Arinzechukwu Awogu, a former Ogbaru Local Government chairman.

    However, Mr. Augustine Odom, Chairman of Ebonyi Indigenous Welfare Association, Ogboji Chapter, told the Foundation that on the fateful day, about 30 out of the 50-member group were in a house in the community for their monthly meeting, which holds in the last week of every month, when the unfortunate incident occurred.

    The Foundation gave bags of rice, tins of tomatoes, vegetable oils and big cash for their families 

    The survivors, many of them injured and still receiving treatments.

    Read Also: Why we chose Moghalu as Anambra guber candidate, by Obi, Otti, others

     Odom, while narrating the incident, said that initially they didn’t suspect anything when the vehicles arrived at the scene, adding, ” suddenly, the occupants of the cars, about 10 in number, all hooded , alighted, opened the compound gate and raced to the meeting point.

    “The first thing they did was to ask all of us to lie face down. They then accused us that the meeting was because of them, and immediately went ahead to ask about the chairman. Nobody said anything.

    “One of the assailants asked me to get up from the ground and asked if I was the chairman, to which I denied.

     “He asked me to go back to my position, just as one of them again commanded them to start shooting all of us, since none of us knew our chairman.

     “I tried to escape, but one of them shot me and I fell seriously wounded as the bullet flew through my head with blood oozing. He took me for dead because he came close and examined me and left.

     “We couldn’t see their faces. They were hooded with black clothes and spoke both Igbo and pidgin English. The Secretary was shot in the leg as he escaped, but some of our members were not so lucky.

     “In the ensuing milieu, and as the shootings ended, 11 people lost their lives and eight others sustained various degrees of injuries. They were carrying pump-action and AK-47 guns, ”he said.

    Odom disclosed that they moved the injured to a hospital in faraway Awka to shake off any monitoring suspects.

    The remains of the unfortunate ones were also removed to an undisclosed hospital where they were preserved in the morgue by sympathetic villagers.

     A wife of one of the victims gave birth to a baby barely seven days after her husband’s gruesome murder.

     However, Tony Ezekwelu, who led the foundation team, described it as an unfortunate situation.

    He said their principal and the APC governorship candidate in the November 8 polls, Ukachukwu, was deeply shocked and pained to learn about the inhumanity some people visited on their fellow humans.

     He said that their principal condoled with them and described as despicable the aftermath of an evil decision that had decimated families and left in its trail widows and orphans.

    “We are worried that this happened. We are not known for this kind of thing. I wonder how people can pack guns in their vehicles and drive past many police checkpoints on the road to this place without being detected,” he said.

  • How troops nabbed mastermind of NDLEA Commander’s kidnap in Anambra – DHQ

    How troops nabbed mastermind of NDLEA Commander’s kidnap in Anambra – DHQ

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says the troops of Operation UDO KA, have apprehended three suspects in connection with the kidnap of Anambra State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, made this known while briefing newsmen on the operations of the military during the second quarters, on Thursday in Abuja.

    Kangye identified the suspects as Emeka Ede, Okwudili Aja and Onyebuchi Aja.

    He said the raid operation was conducted in conjunction with DSS operatives at the residence of the suspected kidnappers/ESN criminals on Wednesday.

    “Intelligence report has it that the suspects masterminded the kidnapping of the NDLEA Commander of Anambra State Command on June 12.

    “Items recovered from them were assorted weapons and a large cache of ammunition as well as some illicit drugs.

    Read Also: DHQ takes delivery of 84 CNG-powered vehicles to enhance operations

    “The recovered items are in the custody of troops while suspects are currently undergoing interrogation,” he said.

    Kangye said the troops had also, in offensive operations from June 28 to June 30, made contact with terrorists in Owerri West and Ihiala Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Imo and Anambra States respectively.

    He said that 21 suspected illicit drug dealers were apprehended while arms, ammunition, explosives (IEDs) making materials, vehicles, motorcycles and mobile phones were recovered from them.

    He added that troops on June 26, acting on credible intelligence, nabbed two suspects at a Point of Sale (POS) belonging to an IPOB/ESN sponsor in Ihiala LGA of Anambra.

    According to him, troops recovered eight mobile phones, transaction booklets and the sum of N1.5 million from them.

    “The suspects are currently undergoing interrogations,” he added.

    (NAN)

  • Ogboji killing: Anambra, Ebonyi govts want perpetrators brought to justice

    Ogboji killing: Anambra, Ebonyi govts want perpetrators brought to justice

    • One arrested as police launch manhunt for killers

    The Anambra and Ebonyi state governments yesterday condemned Monday’s attack that claimed lives of over 10 persons at Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.

    They called on security operatives to bring perpetrators to book.

    Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, described the killings as “senseless, barbaric and an affront to peace, unity and the sanctity of human life.”

    Also yesterday, Ebonyi House of Representatives’ Caucus called for the arrest of the assailants.

    “It defies reason and logic that a group of Ebonyi people holding a peaceful meeting would be shot at close range. It is unacceptable, and I frown strongly at such heinous acts in their entirety,” Governor Nwifuru said.

    The governor said that he has contacted his Anambra State counterpart, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, and called for a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation into the incident.

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    He emphasized that the perpetrators must be brought to justice without delay, warning that any compromise in the matter could jeopardize the cordial relationship between both states.

    While urging Ebonyi people, especially the bereaved families and affected communities, to remain calm and avoid reprisals, Governor Nwifuru assured that the Ebonyi State Government would deploy all necessary resources to ensure the killers are unmasked and prosecuted.

    “Such barbarism has no place in modernity, and state arsenals will be deployed to unmask the perpetrators of the bloody killings,” the Governor said.

    He reiterated his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of all Ebonyi citizens, both within and outside the state.

    Governor Nwifuru vowed to follow up the matter until justice is served and promised that there would be no sacred cows.

    Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, in a statement extended condolences to deceased families, explaining that the incident was not targeted at any particular state or ethnic group.

    He said preliminary investigations revealed that the unfortunate incident might have stemmed from internal squabble.

    While calling on police to conduct thorough investigation to identify the suspects and bring them to justice, Mefor urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies to ensure the perpetrators were apprehended.

    He said: “We want to assure the good people of Anambra and beyond that this incident was not targeted at any particular state or ethnic group. Preliminary investigations suggest that the unfortunate incident may have stemmed from an internal squabble.

    “The government expects the police command to conduct a thorough investigation, identify the perpetrators of this heinous crime, and bring them to justice. The government assures the people of Ogboji and the entire state that we will do everything humanly possible to ensure justice is served. We urge all residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies to ensure the perpetrators are apprehended.”

    The Police Command in Anambra has launched manhunt for the killers.

    Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, confirmed the arrest of a male suspect, Sunday Mbanu, in connection with the murder.

    He said this yesterday when he led Joint Security Team comprising Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other sister agencies to the scene of the incident.

    He said the suspect is currently assisting the police in their investigation.

    The CP, however, reiterates that the incident is not a targeted attack on any indigene of any state, but a cowardly action of the common enemies of the state.

    Its Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, assured that the command shall hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

    Ikenga said that the armed criminals came in two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) and attacked the gathering of a group unprovoked, shooting sporadically.

  • Police launch manhunt on killers of 10 Ebonyi Indigenes in Anambra

    Police launch manhunt on killers of 10 Ebonyi Indigenes in Anambra

    The Police Command in Anambra has launched manhunt for suspected killers of 10 persons in Ogboji, Orumba-South Local Government Area (LGA) of the state on June 30.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Awka.

    “The Police Command in Anambra has condemned the indiscriminate shooting incident that resulted in fatal injuries and fatalities to 10 persons on the evening of June 30 at Ogboji, Orumba-South LGA of the state.

    “The police has further assured that the Command shall hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” he said.

    Ikenga said that the armed criminals came in two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) and attacked the gathering of a group unprovoked, shooting sporadically.

    Read Also: Police nab two suspected vandals, recover stolen items in A/Ibom

    He said that the victims were later taken to an hospital where 10 persons were confirmed dead.

    The police spokesman also said that the bodies of the victims have been deposited in the morgue.

    He further said that the police led security team had taken over the scene of the incident and were working on necessary information to arrest the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

    (NAN)

  • They shot me twice, killed 11 others, says Ogboji massacre victim

    They shot me twice, killed 11 others, says Ogboji massacre victim

    In the wake of the chilling massacre of Ebonyi State indigenes in Ogboji, Anambra State, a survivor has come forward with a harrowing account of how gunmen stormed a peaceful community meeting and opened fire, killing at least eleven people and injuring several others.

    Onuoha Godwin, a member of the Ebonyi State Welfare Association in Ogboji, was present at the ill-fated meeting and lived to tell the tale—though not without grave injuries and deep emotional scars.

    Speaking from his hospital bed, where he is receiving treatment for multiple gunshot wounds to his hand and stomach, Godwin recounted the terrifying ordeal.

    A video of his statement has gone viral on social media and was seen by our reporter. 

    Speaking in his local dialect, Godwin from Inyimagu in Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi State, said the gunmen stormed the venue of their monthly meeting with intent to kill.

    “We used to have our meeting two times in the month. That day was our general meeting of Ebonyi State Welfare Association in Ogboji,” he said in a faint but steady voice.

    “Towards evening time when we were about closing the meeting, some people carrying guns came in. We thought they were policemen that came for mass arrests. We didn’t know they were on a mission to kill us.”

    What followed, he said, was a nightmare.

    “The first thing they asked was, ‘Who is Augustine Odogwu?’ Then they ordered everybody to lie down,” Godwin recalled.

    Augustine Odogwu, the Chairman of the Ogboji branch of the Association, appeared to be their main target.

    “They dragged me up and asked me what meeting we were doing. I told them it was the general meeting of Ebonyi indigenes. They said we were kicking against them and then they shot me,” he said.

    Read Also: 13 murdered in Anambra community

    The attackers, he said, fired several shots into the air and threatened to kill everyone if Augustine wasn’t identified.

    “They came to me again and asked me to show them Augustine or they would kill me. I pointed at him. They brought him out and shot him right there. Then they shot me again.”

    He said what  followed was mass carnage as the gunmen began firing indiscriminately at other members of the Association, killing about eleven people on the spot and leaving several others injured.

    The death toll is said to have risen to 13 as a few other repeatedly died at the hospital.

    The tragic incident has sparked outrage and strong calls for justice, with the Ebonyi State Government and civil society groups demanding a swift and thorough investigation.

  • Nwifuru condemns killing of 13 Ebonyi indigenes in Anambra

    Nwifuru condemns killing of 13 Ebonyi indigenes in Anambra

    Ebonyi Governor Francis Nwifuru has condemned the gruesome killing of thirteen Ebonyi indigenes in Ogboji community, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    The victims, according to reports, were attacked during their monthly town union meeting penultimate Monday.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor on Wednesday, Nwifuru described the killings as “senseless, barbaric and an affront to peace, unity and the sanctity of human life.

    “It defies reason and logic that a group of Ebonyi people holding a peaceful meeting would be shot at at close range. It is unacceptable, and I frown strongly at such heinous acts in their entirety,” he said.

    The Governor revealed he has contacted his Anambra counterpart, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, and called for a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation into the incident.

    He emphasised the perpetrators must be brought to justice without delay, warning that any compromise in the matter could jeopardize the cordial relationship between both states.

    Read Also: Umahi not controlling me, says Nwifuru

    While urging Ebonyi people, especially the bereaved families and affected communities, to remain calm and avoid reprisals, Governor Nwifuru assured that the Ebonyi State Government would deploy all necessary resources to ensure the killers are unmasked and prosecuted.

    “Such barbarism has no place in modernity, and state arsenals will be deployed to unmask the perpetrators of the bloody killings,” the Governor said.

    He reiterated his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of all Ebonyi citizens, both within and outside the state.

    Nwifuru vowed to follow up the matter until justice is served and promised that there would be no sacred cows.

  • 13 murdered in Anambra community

    13 murdered in Anambra community

    Thirteen persons reportedly from Ebonyi state were allegedly murdered by gunmen in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    The attack, which happened between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m on Monday was said to have left the affected families and the Ebonyi diaspora in mourning.

    Following the incident, the Association of Non-Indigenes in Anambra State (ANIAS) has condemned the heinous act, calling for thorough investigation into the massacre.

    ANIAS President, Prince Chigozie Nweke, in a statement commiserated with the bereaved families.

    Read also: Anambra 2025: Is Willie Obiano still relevant in Anambra politics?

    He urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to deploy all state resources to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

    A survivor, Mr. Augustine Odom, chairman of the Ebonyi community in Ogboji, described the attack as sudden and unprovoked.

    He said the community was holding its regular monthly meeting when the assailants struck, accusing them of holding a meeting against them.

    “The attackers demanded the group’s minute book, seized it, and then opened fire on the participants, killing 13 members on the spot,” he said.

    Odom and the treasurer survived with gunshot wounds and are currently receiving treatment.

    Prince Nweke emphasized the need for the government to assert its authority and utilize all security networks to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.

  • Group decries indiscriminate clampdown on Anambra traditional worshippers

    Group decries indiscriminate clampdown on Anambra traditional worshippers

    A rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has called on the Charles Soludo led-government administration in Anambra State to respect fundamental human rights of the citizens, particularly, traditional worshippers in the state.

    The group also urged the government to charge to court or grant administrative bail within the constitutionally prescribed time-frames, those arrested and detained for criminal offenses (felonies or misdemeanors or simple offenses).

    These demands were contained in a statement made available to journalists weekend in Enugu and signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Lead-Researcher/Head Intersociety, Chinwe Umeche, Human Rights Lawyer/Head, Democracy and Good Governance, Chief Anayo Leonard Okoli, Member of the Board, Comrade Chibueze Nwajiaku, Deputy Head, Policing and Law Enforcement Department and Comrade Samuel Kamanyaoku, Head, Field Data Collection and Documentation Department.

    The statement frowned at the state government’s security outfit, ‘Agunaechemba/Udo Gachi’ for the indiscriminate clampdown on traditional worshippers and chief priests of the anciently instituted communal deities, including custodians of ancient market deities with arrests and detentions without trial.

    The statement urged the state government “to desist from reckless resort to false labeling and hearsay conclusions and entertainment of frivolous or cooked up petitions, with which thousands of defenseless citizens have been arrested across the state and detained inhumanly without proper investigations and trials.

    “Processes leading to invocation of power of arrest by various conventional and unconventional security establishments across the state must be investigative and fair-hearing driven.”

    Intersociety claimed that reports at its disposal indicted the government of “indiscriminate breaches of citizens’ constitutional liberties by coercive agents holding brief for the Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo-led Government of Anambra State, brought to our advocacy attention by several victim-citizens and their relatives or close associates.”

    It claimed that “several citizens of the State indiscriminately are being labeled under controversial circumstances, hunted down and clamped into indefinite detention, ranging from three months to five months or more without trial or police administrative bail.

    “There are also strong pieces of evidence showing that the State Security outfit (Agunaechemba/Udo Gachi) has led the way by arresting several citizens and detaining them extra jus, extralegal and extrajudicial using “Okite Ritualism” or “being ritualists, kidnappers, armed robbers, internet fraudsters or herbalists providing charms to violent criminals” as a pretext or cover.

    “Chief Priests of the anciently instituted communal Deities including custodians of ancient Market Deities are among those framed or falsely labeled, arrested and detained without trial or threatened with arrest and detention under the above circumstances.”

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    It said a 12-page letter had been addressed to the Anambra State Executive Council, through Professor Solo Chukwulobelu, Secretary to the Government of Anambra State.

    It mentioned the ancient Udo Orie Market Deity and its chief priest as a reference point.

    The organisation said ignorance and lack of tradition expertise had led into generalized criminalization or false labeling and stigmatization of such sacred institutions of antiquity as “deities providing charms for ritualists, armed robbers, kidnappers and internet fraudsters or those engaging in Okeite money rituals”.

    “These abuses and infractions are also found to have become reckless using management, enforcement and operationalization of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025, also found to be lacking credible research and investigative techniques and statistics”.