A man, Gabriel Ewgutuoha Peter, has narrated a disturbing ordeal involving his younger brother, who he alleged was brutally detained by the Anambra State government-backed security outfit, Agunechemba, otherwise known as “Soludo’s Boys.”
In a detailed account posted on Facebook, Gabriel accused the security outfit of unlawful arrest, denial of communication, intimidation, and alleged cover-up in what he described as “a near-deadly experience” that could have ended tragically.
According to Gabriel, the incident began in Ihiala Local Government when Udo ga-achi operatives allegedly arrested his brother for driving a car without a plate number.
“They carried him across many local governments until they got to Onitsha. In all this arrest drama, they switched off his two phones and never communicated to any of his family members,” Gabriel said.
He said it took a good Samaritan who spotted his brother “in bad condition in the so-called security cell” to contact their mother and inform the family of his whereabouts.
When Gabriel’s elder brother visited the security office in Onitsha to confirm his sibling’s detention, the leader of the unit, identified as Nwaoye Desmond, allegedly denied that the young man was in their custody.
“My senior brother was confused. He even told them he had just bought food for my brother in that same cell, yet they kept denying. Desmond became furious when my brother pointed out the security officer who had shown him where my sibling was kept. That officer was later beaten and locked up for two days,” Gabriel recounted.
He alleged further that he overheard Desmond making a phone call, lamenting that “the plan won’t work again” because the detainee had been seen and identified by family members.
Gabriel said his family was told that the only way to secure his brother’s release was to contact their village’s President General, who in turn would reach out to Kenneth, the Special Adviser to Governor Charles Soludo on Security.
“I called Kenneth directly. At first, he acknowledged the arrest but later started avoiding my calls. For days, he refused to pick my calls. Even our President General later stopped answering me after promising to help,” Gabriel alleged.
According to him, the turning point came when he escalated the matter to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police.
“In less than an hour after my call, the so-called Agunechemba started calling us, saying we should come and carry our brother because a call had come from above. The Police responded professionally without asking for a dime. May God bless them,” he stated.
Gabriel withheld some details of what his brother allegedly witnessed inside the detention cell, including reports of other victims who “gave up in his presence and were thrown away.” However, he issued a strong warning to the Anambra State Government.
“I want to advise Governor Soludo to carefully check the people he is employing to guard Anambra State. They may be destroying the state themselves instead of protecting it,” he cautioned.
He further advised residents of the state to always inform their families of their movements to avoid similar ordeals.
The allegations, if confirmed, could expose a dangerous breakdown of lawful security structures in Anambra under the cover of government approval.
Civil rights groups are already calling for urgent scrutiny of Agunechemba, warning that unchecked power could degenerate into a human rights crisis in the state.
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