Operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Nigerian Police Force, Enugu State Command, have arrested two suspects in connection with the alleged murder of Mr. Ejike Nnaji, a native of Oruku in Nkanu East Local Government Area.
The suspects, identified as Donatus Ani (aka Eneniyi) and Chidiebere Ani (aka Mpempe), were apprehended on January 12, 2025, at their Akpuoga residence following credible intelligence. They are accused of conspiring to ambush and murder Mr. Nnaji on December 14, 2024, stealing his mobile phone and motorcycle, and dumping his remains in a well within an abandoned compound in the area.
The suspects are believed to be members of a notorious gang involved in an internecine conflict in Oruku Community between 2019 and 2022, during which many lives were lost and over 150 houses were burnt down. Over the past four years, the gang allegedly terrorized the community, engaging in violent crimes such as killings, kidnappings, vandalism, and illegal harvesting of economic crops.
The late Ejike Nnaji was ambushed and shot dead on December 14, 2024, at the Eziobodo axis of Oruku Community. His remains were recovered from a well by Idodo Police officers after a report was made by the Oruku Community Caretaker Committee on December 15, 2024. The case was subsequently transferred to the state command for further investigation.
During interrogation, the arrested suspects confessed to the crime and named other gang members still at large, including their leader, Ejike Mba (aka Terrorist), and accomplices such as Chukwuebuka Ogbo, Okechukwu Nwatu (aka Osinaikuku), Aloysius Nnaona, Onyeka Ugwu (aka Dakpada), and Ifeanyi Charles Okenwa (aka Nwandumma). The suspects also revealed that they had four AK-47 rifles in their possession, which were kept by one Okwudili Ani, who is currently on the run.
The two suspects have been arraigned before the Enugu North Magistrate Court on four counts and remanded at the Enugu Correctional Center. The remains of Mr. Ejike Nnaji are still in the morgue.
Enugu State Governor, Peter Ndubuisi Mba, has reiterated his administration’s zero-tolerance stance on crime and criminality. The people of Oruku have expressed relief over the arrests and urged the police to apprehend the remaining suspects and investigate the source of the weapons used in the crimes.
