Wednesday, May 13, 2026 -The Anambra State Police Command has begun an investigation into the death of an 80-year-old man, Paul Onwualu, who was allegedly beaten to death in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.
The deceased, said to be one of the aspirants to the
traditional stool of the community, reportedly died from injuries allegedly
inflicted on him by policemen said to be attached to the Force Criminal
Investigation Department, Abuja.
The incident is linked to an ongoing tussle over the
community’s traditional stool, a matter currently pending before a High Court
in Suit No. HID/72/2026 sitting in Ogidi.
It was gathered that the security operatives, accompanied by
some persons opposed to Onwualu’s aspiration to the throne, stormed his
residence on Thursday to arrest him. During the operation, he was allegedly
assaulted and beaten into a coma.
Eyewitnesses said the octogenarian was forcefully bundled
into a waiting police van and was being taken to the Ogidi Police Station when
he reportedly collapsed.
He was subsequently rushed to the Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital,
Ogidi, where doctors confirmed him dead on arrival.
One of the eyewitnesses said, “Some police officers stormed
the old man’s residence and attempted to arrest him. In the process, he was
beaten into a coma and bundled into a waiting police vehicle.
“He collapsed on the way to the police station and was
rushed to the Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital, where medical personnel confirmed him
dead.”
The deceased’s wife, Anthonia Onwualu, who tearfully
confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Tuesday, alleged that her
husband was brutally assaulted before being whisked away.
“On Thursday, the police, in company with some people
opposed to my husband’s Igweship aspiration, stormed our residence in Umusiome
and beat my husband into a coma before whisking him away to an unknown
destination,” she said.
“I was later informed that they were taking him to Ogidi
Police Station, but he died on the way and was rushed to Iyi-Enu hospital in
Ogidi.
“The people who came with the police scaled the perimeter
fence of our compound because the gate was locked,” she added.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Tuesday, the
spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the
officers allegedly involved had been identified, but were not attached to the
Anambra State Command.
He urged residents to remain calm, assuring that the
circumstances surrounding the death were under investigation.
The statement read in part, “The Anambra State Police
Command wishes to inform the public that it has commenced investigation into
the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate death of the late Mr Paul Onwualu
in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
“Preliminary information available to the Command reveals
that the officers allegedly involved in the arrest before the sudden
complication of the deceased’s health, which later led to his death, have been
identified, but are not operatives attached to the Anambra State Police
Command.
“The Command assures Ndi Anambra and members of the public
that the matter is being handled with the seriousness it deserves in order to
ascertain the facts surrounding the unfortunate incident.”
Ikenga added that the Commissioner of Police in the state,
CP Ikioye Orutugu, appealed to residents to remain peaceful and allow the
investigation to run its course.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to transparency,
professionalism, and the protection of lives and property, adding that further
developments would be communicated in due course.
0 Comments