The Anambra State Police Command has arrested nine suspects in connection with the brutal killing of Justice Azuka, the lawmaker representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Azuka was abducted on December 24, 2024, along Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha, while returning home for Christmas. Weeks later, his decomposing body was discovered near the Second Niger Bridge in the early hours of Thursday.
Announcing the arrests in a press statement on Friday, Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Itam, confirmed that a joint security operation involving the police and the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG) had worked tirelessly to track down the perpetrators.
“The gruesome murder of Justice Azuka prompted an extensive intelligence-led investigation by the command,” Itam stated.
He revealed that on February 6, 2025, security operatives, acting on credible intelligence, located the lawmaker’s lifeless body at the crime scene near the Second Niger Bridge.
Acting swiftly, police operatives and vigilante personnel apprehended nine suspects linked to the murder. During the operation, officers recovered two pump-action rifles, and one suspect sustained a gunshot wound during an exchange of fire with the police.
The arrested suspects include:
Ugochukwu Onuorah (30)
Ikemefuna Ossai (20)
Ikenna Orugu (27)
Chibuike Obiefuna (19)
Chinonso Olisa (19)
Chinedu Okoli (21)
David Ojini (25)
Peter Sunday (20), described as the most notorious, with a tattoo reading “No peace 4 d Government.”
In a related development, CP Itam also announced the capture of Chidiebere Nwosu, a suspected kidnapper in Uruagu, Nnewi, and the neutralization of multiple gang members involved in the October 3, 2024, attack on police personnel attached to the Rapid Response Squad.
He further disclosed that the command had eliminated over 100 criminals and dismantled several criminal hideouts in Ufuma, Eziowelle, Achalla, Ogbaru, and other locations across the state.
CP Itam expressed gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, and Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for their continued support. He also commended sister security agencies, the media, civil society organizations, and residents of Anambra for their cooperation in the ongoing fight against crime.
