Police arrest vigilante chief, 2 others for murder in Anambra

By Ihechukwu Sunday
Operatives from the Ogidi Division, Anambra State Command of Nigerian Police, have arrested the commander of the Ojoto community vigilance group for alleged murder of a tricycle operator, Christian Oluchukwu Onah. Arrested alongside the commander were two others persons, who were involved in the dastardly act.
The 25 year-old Onah hailed from Ovoko community in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of Enugu State but resided in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State, before his untimely death. He was declared missing on May 28, 2023, after he did not return from the day’s business.
According to report, one of his neighbours had raised the alarm over his whereabouts, and subsequently reported the matter to the police. The deceased was riding the tricycle under hire purchase. The tricycle owner was said to have engaged the services of a security tracker, which eventually led to the arrest of a man in possession of the missing tricycle.
On further interrogation, the man confessed to buying the tricycle from one of the Ojoto community vigilance operatives. When the vigilante operative who the tricycle to him was arrested by the police, he also mentioned the vigilante commander as the mastermind of the deceased’s the abduction and his subsequent brutal killing. He also revealed that the body of the deceased was thrown into a popular river in that community, called Mmili John Ojoto.
The deceased’s father, Emmanuel Onah, condemned the gruesome murder of his struggling young son and demanded for justice.
He lamented that the perpetrators have refused to disclose where they actually buried his son and called on the policr authorities to ensure that his son’s body was recovered for proper burial rites.
He, therefore, called for a thorough investigation into the matter with a view to fishing out all those who were involved, directly or indirectly, in the abduction and murder of his son.
He equally appealed to the police for diligent prosecution of those involved in the heinous crime to serve as deterrent to others.
When contacted, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Ikenga Tochi, said he had not been briefed about the incident, but promised to reach out to the police division concerned for proper update.
However, a senior police officer from Ogidi Division disclosed that stakeholders of the Ojoto community were interested in the matter. He also said the police had intensified efforts to arrest and bring to book all the people that were mentioned by the suspect as collaborators in the crime.