The Anambra State Police Command has arrested four additional suspects in connection with the kidnapping and murder of three Cameroonian nationals in the state.
The victims were reportedly abducted in November 2025 and later killed, with their bodies dumped in a river in Anambra West Local Government Area. Police operatives subsequently recovered their decomposing remains floating on the water, prompting a full-scale investigation.
The probe initially led to the arrest of two suspects who were said to have been assisting with information. However, in a statement issued on Monday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed that confessions by the earlier suspects resulted in the arrest of four more individuals on Friday.
According to Ikenga, the suspects were apprehended at a shrine in Nando, Anambra East Local Government Area, following a gun duel with security operatives.
He identified the suspects as the alleged chief priest of the shrine, Chukwuemeka Emmanuel, popularly known as “Ugoebenajah,” 27; Nwabunne Bright, 27; Chinecherem Chiama, 21; and Michael Ekwunife, 38.
Items recovered from the scene included two pump-action guns, a locally made Beretta pistol, a machete, assorted charms, expanded ammunition, 10 live cartridges and five rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Ikenga stated that the operation was carried out by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, acting on credible intelligence from the suspects already in custody.
“On approaching the shrine, about 30 able-bodied men were observed gathered at the premises. Upon sighting the police, the armed men opened fire on the operatives,” the statement read in part.
“The police operatives responded professionally, engaging the armed men in a gun duel. While the prime suspect, Uchenna Mmaduamaka Nicholas, a native of Oroma Etiti Anam, escaped alongside other gang members with bullet wounds, one of the arrested suspects sustained a gunshot injury to the thigh and is currently receiving treatment in a hospital.”
The police said the arrested suspects are undergoing interrogation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing members of the gang.
The command reiterated its commitment to safeguarding residents and urged members of the public to provide useful information to aid ongoing investigations.
Metro had earlier reported on November 29, 2025, that police recovered two decomposing female bodies believed to be among three missing Cameroonian women from a river in Anambra West LGA.
At the time, Ikenga disclosed that operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, in collaboration with professional divers and local volunteers, conducted an intensive search along the Omambala River on November 28, 2025, leading to the grim discovery.
He added that two suspects — Nonso Augustine Akpeh, 37, and Kingsley Akpeh, 44 — were initially arrested to assist with investigations, while a third suspect was declared at large.
Police say investigations remain ongoing, with further developments to be communicated as the case progresses.