Operatives of the Nigeria Police Command in Anambra State have arrested three suspects over the alleged murder of Kelechi Madu in a desperate bid to conceal a fraudulent land transaction in the State.
One of the suspects, 32-year-old Ifeanyi Nwankwo, a friend of the deceased, admitted to police authorities that he plotted the death of the Awkuzu native in Oyi Local Government Area in connivance with two other suspects.
The spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Command in Anambra State, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said in a statement that in an attempt to conceal the alleged fraudulent transaction and suppress the money obtained from the deceased, the prime suspect hired two other persons to murder the 56-year-old victim.
The arrest of the suspects followed a report on August 18, 2026, by the wife of the deceased that her husband had gone out on the evening of August 17, 2026, and had not returned home.
Consequently, police operatives, in collaboration with members of the local vigilante group and the deceased’s family, immediately commenced inquiries and a search operation to establish his whereabouts.
”In the evening of the same day, however, the wife returned to the station in distress and reported that her husband had been found dead in a nearby bush at Umuobi, Awkuzu.”
Police operatives immediately mobilized to the scene and found the lifeless body of the victim with a deep axe cut to his head.
The statement revealed that the corpse was evacuated and deposited in the hospital for preservation by the police, whose investigation led to the arrest of Nwankwo, who confessed to his involvement in the planning and killing of Kelechi Madu.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly obtained money fraudulently from the deceased under the guise of assisting him to acquire a piece of land.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Oji, directed that the investigation be intensified to identify and arrest all persons involved in the conspiracy and murder.
The command is determined to ensure that every person connected to the crime is brought to justice and vowed to strengthen intelligence-led policing and community partnership to prevent violent crimes, unravel criminal activities, and ensure that perpetrators face the full weight of the law across the state.
