On Sunday, the Anambra State Police Command announced that it has launched a search for the unidentified gunmen who abducted three individuals along the Nkpologwu-Akpo Road in Nkpologwu, Aguata Local Government Area. The abductions occurred in the early morning, with the heavily armed assailants targeting the victims at different locations within the community.
Sources indicate that the victims, who were visiting from outside Anambra for a local event organized by the community’s women as part of their August meeting, were intercepted and kidnapped by the assailants using their own vehicles. Eyewitnesses reported that the perpetrators forcibly took the victims away after stopping their vehicles.
The incident has been partially confirmed by a video circulating on social media, showing a flipped vehicle along the Nkpologwu-Akpo Road, with commentary suggesting it belonged to one of the abducted individuals. This kidnapping follows a recent attack on a police checkpoint at Omata Junction on Nnewi-Oba Road, where one police officer was killed and another injured.
A community leader, who requested anonymity, revealed that the assailants struck around 7:30 a.m., capturing the victims, who include a lawyer based in Abuja and another individual from Port Harcourt. The attackers intercepted their vehicles at different points along the road and transported them to an unknown location. The vehicle of one of the victims was found overturned on the road.
The President-General of Nkpologwu Community, Prof. Ferdinand Ezeiruaku, confirmed the abductions occurred between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Sunday, noting that the victims had returned to attend the local event.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, also confirmed the incident. He stated that the area has been cordoned off and a manhunt for the suspects is underway. He urged the families of the victims to provide additional details to assist with the investigation.