Two arrested over murder of three relatives in Anambra land dispute

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of three members of the same family in Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, identified as Emmanuel Nnakezie and Clement Nnaekezie, killed the victims and buried their remains in a shallow grave as a result of a dispute over the ownership of a bitter kola tree and other inherited parcels of land.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the suspects were arrested in Oba, Idemili South LGA and Ukpor, Nnewi South LGA, after a credible intelligence gathering.

Ikenga said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, carried out the operation following a painstaking investigation triggered by credible information on the sudden disappearance of the victims.

The statement read, “The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with the gruesome murder of three members of the same family whose bodies were discovered in a shallow grave in Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government Area.

“Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, on the afternoon of May 3, 2026, arrested one Emmanuel Nnabueze Nnakezie (male, aged 33 years) and Clement Nnaekezie (male, aged 69 years) following a painstaking investigation triggered by credible information on the sudden disappearance of the victims.

“Acting on intelligence, the operatives trailed and apprehended the suspects in different locations: Oba and Ukpor, respectively.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and led the Police to the site where the victims were buried in a shallow grave.

“The victims have been identified as Robert Nnakezie (male, 67 years), Ikechukwu Obi (male, 14 years), and Ukamaka Efione (female, 2 years), who was reportedly visiting during the school holidays.”

According to Ikenga, the remains of the victims have been exhumed and deposited in a morgue for autopsy.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the heinous act may have resulted from a dispute over the ownership of a bitter kola tree and other inherited parcels of land.

“The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has strongly condemned the act, describing it as barbaric and unacceptable.

“He assured the public that the command remains committed to ensuring that justice is served,” the statement concluded.