The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with the killing of three members of the same family, whose bodies were discovered in a shallow grave in Ukpor.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, carried out the arrests on May 3, 2026, following intelligence on the sudden disappearance of the victims.
The suspects were identified as Emmanuel Nnabueze Nnakezie (33) and Clement Nnaekezie (69), who were apprehended in Oba and Ukpor respectively after what the police described as a “painstaking investigation.”
“Operatives… arrested one Emmanuel Nnabueze Nnakezie… and Clement Nnaekezie… following a painstaking investigation triggered by credible information on the sudden disappearance of the victims,” the statement said.
Police said the suspects confessed during interrogation and subsequently led investigators to the burial site.
“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and led the Police to the site where the victims were buried in a shallow grave,” Ikenga stated.
The victims were identified as Robert Nnakezie (67), Ikechukwu Obi (14), and Ukamaka Efione (2), who was reportedly visiting the family during the school holidays.
Their remains have since been exhumed and deposited in a morgue for autopsy.
Preliminary findings suggest the incident may be linked to a dispute over the ownership of a bitter kola tree and other inherited land.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, condemned the killings in strong terms.
“He described it as barbaric and unacceptable,” the statement noted, adding that the command is committed to ensuring justice is served.
The police assured residents that investigations are ongoing and that the suspects will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
