A human rights advocacy group, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, has raised the alarm over the whereabouts of a gateman shot by operatives of the Anambra State Police Command during an attempt to arrest his boss, Mr Jude Nwoye Anokwu.
The group said the gateman, who was shot at Anokwu’s home in Udezu Village, Achalla, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, remained missing, while his boss and others were being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka.
In a press statement signed by RULAAC’s Executive Director, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, the group called for intervention over the detention of those arrested and demanded information on the whereabouts of the missing gateman.
Nwanguma said: “More than 48 hours have elapsed since their arrest. Section 35(4)–(5) of the Constitution requires an arrested person to be brought before a court within a reasonable time, generally 24 hours where a competent court is reasonably accessible, or 48 hours in other circumstances.
“Continued detention outside these limits without a valid court order would violate their constitutional rights.”
Tracing the history of the dispute that led to the incident, Nwanguma said that in July 2025, Anokwu was reportedly violently arrested and assaulted in connection with a family land dispute, transported from Anambra State to Zone 2 Command in Lagos, and confronted with serious security related allegations.
“He was eventually released on the directive of the then Assistant Inspector General of Police after RULAAC’s intervention.
“The similarity between that episode and the current arrest, including reports of renewed IPOB/ESN related allegations, raises legitimate concern that criminal and security processes may again be deployed to advance private interests in a civil land dispute. We therefore request an impartial investigation based strictly on credible evidence and not on the influence of any interested party,” the group said.
The group said Anokwu’s gateman was shot by police operatives during the arrest operation. It added that the victim’s whereabouts had remained unknown since the incident.
Nwanguma said: “The Command should urgently establish and disclose where he is, ensure that he receives immediate medical treatment and investigate the circumstances of the shooting.”
