Anambra police arrest two suspects over alleged inflammatory videos linked to the Aguleri-Umuoba Anam communal dispute that reportedly claimed five lives.
The Anambra police have arrested two men over the alleged circulation of misleading videos and inflammatory claims capable of escalating communal tensions involving Aguleri, Umuoba Anam and Umueri communities in Anambra East Local Government Area.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Awka on Wednesday.
He identified the suspects as Peter Chimezie and Sunday Offordile, who were reportedly arrested in the early hours of October 26 following community intervention and subsequently handed over to the police.
According to Ikenga, preliminary information indicated that the suspects were allegedly intercepted while recording a video of some Umueri indigenes returning lawfully from their farms.
He said the video was accompanied by claims portraying the individuals as armed men from Aguleri allegedly waiting to attack and kill anyone from Umuoba Anam passing through the route.
The Anambra police spokesman said investigators were examining the video’s authenticity, origin and intended purpose, adding that the suspects had made statements relevant to the allegations during preliminary interrogation.
He said they had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Awka, for further investigation and necessary legal action.
Ikenga warned that deliberately circulating misleading information could provoke reprisals, heighten communal tensions and undermine ongoing peace efforts.
Reacting, the Abambra Police Commissioner, Mr Nnanna Ama, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property through intelligence-led policing and collaboration with community stakeholders.
Ama cautioned residents against recording or circulating unverified content and provocative narratives capable of inciting hostility between neighbouring communities.
He urged the public to verify information before sharing it and report credible security concerns through appropriate channels.
The commissioner also appealed to residents of Aguleri, Umuoba Anam and Umueri to remain calm, exercise restraint and support ongoing peace initiatives.
“No individual or group should take the law into their own hands or engage in retaliatory actions based on unverified information,” he said.
Ama added that the command would continue engaging traditional rulers, community leaders, vigilance groups and other stakeholders to sustain peace and ensure that anyone found culpable of criminal conduct faced the law.
The communal clash, reportedly triggered by a boundary dispute on October 2, claimed five lives, left several people injured and resulted in the destruction of property whose value had yet to be determined.
Anambra police, communal violence, Aguleri, Umuoba Anam, Umueri, Tochukwu Ikenga, Nnanna Ama, Anambra State
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