Enugu Local Government Chairmen Indicted by Nigerian Military for Gunrunning and Political Killings

Four local council chairmen in Enugu State have been indicted for their alleged involvement in gunrunning and political killings by a Nigerian military report. The indicted council chairmen are Udenu-Onah Solomon, also known as Jack Solo; Igbo-Eze South-Hon Vitus Okechi; Isi-Uzo-Obiora Chibuzor Obeagu; and Igbo-Eze North-William Ejike Itodo.

The military authorities have requested that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi hands over the chairmen for further investigations and questioning regarding other issues. According to the report, the indicted council chairmen are being investigated for their roles in the increased cases of insecurity, including kidnapping, killings, and arson, witnessed in the state, especially during and a few months preceding the last general elections.

The presidential and national assembly elections were held on February 25, while the governorship and state houses of assembly elections took place on March 18, 2023. However, non-state militias carried out widespread violence in furtherance of their political interests during the elections. The military arrested suspects following actionable intelligence findings.

Military sources revealed that the Chairmen of Udenu, Igbo-Eze South, Isi-Uzo, and Igbo-Eze North were respectively indicted for their involvement in the heightened insecurity in the Southeast. Some AFN and NPF personnel were also indicted for complicity in the killings and destruction in the South East by the report. The report recommended that suspected security personnel involved be investigated for portraying both the AFN and NPF in a bad light.

The Inspector General of Police was requested to immediately invite the identified local government chairmen for questioning, after which they would be handed over to the military for further interrogation. Prior to the election, SaharaReporters had reported that four Council chairmen who were close associates of Governor Ugwuanyi were arrested for their involvement in recruiting cultists for the just-concluded elections.