…as intersociety warns that inaction could result in violent retaliation and an uncontrollable inter-communal war.
AWKA, NIGERIA – The iNews Times reports that a major communal war may be looming between Uli in Anambra State and Egbuoma in neighbouring Imo State, following a chilling alert raised by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which accuses the Ndikeokwu-Uli Vigilante Group of murder, abduction, extortion, and cross-border violence.
In a petition dated July 25, 2025, and addressed to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Dr Ikioye Orutugu, and the Special Adviser to Governor Charles Soludo on Community Security, Prince Ken Emeakai, the rights group alleged that the vigilante outfit, operating from Uli in Ihiala LGA, has transformed into a deadly militia.
According to the petition, signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, the group’s lead researcher, the vigilante group has repeatedly crossed into Egbuoma in Oguta LGA, Imo State, where it reportedly abducts residents, demands ransoms running into millions, and executes victims who fail to pay.
“The Ndikeokwu-Uli Vigilante Group has turned into a killer outfit,” Umeagbalasi declared. “It abducts and extorts residents of Egbuoma. Some are killed when their families can’t pay. One such victim, Citizen Kosarachi Ohajuba, has been missing since June 20 with a ₦2 million ransom placed on his head.”
The group warned that the patience of the Egbuoma community is “running out,” and inaction could result in violent retaliation and an uncontrollable inter-communal war.
Intersociety listed ten victims of the alleged killings between 2022 and 2024, naming individuals such as Chijioke Mgbeobu, Sunday Onyebuchi, Livinus Mmuo, and Chidi Ohanyele. It added that even when ransoms are paid, some abductees are never released.
One such case involved Citizen Achiose Odemgbe, who was abducted on July 29, 2024, and only freed after his family paid ₦2 million. “These incidents, sadly, are not isolated,” the petition noted.
Beyond the vigilante crisis, Intersociety also linked fleeing Fulani herdsmen to the July 24 massacre of at least 28 Christians in the Umualaoma and Arondizuogu communities of Ideato North LGA, Imo State.
“The attackers, dressed in military camouflage and riding motorcycles, struck between 8:00pm and 9:20pm,” Umeagbalasi stated. “They killed 12 people at Nkwo-Umualaoma Square, including a tailor, Ms Chiamaka Omego, and a couple, Obinna and his wife. Eighteen others were murdered in surrounding villages before the assailants vanished into nearby forests.”
Intersociety further called on the authorities to rescue six Anambra-born lawyers kidnapped on their way to the Nigerian Law School in Yola, Adamawa State. The victims –Rev Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David, were reportedly abducted between Benue and Taraba States, with their abductors demanding ₦120 million for their release.
“Anambra cannot afford to lose these brilliant young lawyers,” Umeagbalasi said. “Their value to the state is beyond calculation. We urge all security agencies and the governors of the concerned states to act swiftly.”
Intersociety concluded its petition with a stern call on the Anambra State Government to seal the camps of the Uli vigilante group and bring its leaders to justice.
“The evidence is overwhelming, killings, abductions, enforced disappearances. If nothing is done, the region could descend into another bloody conflict,” the group warned.
