The Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command has uncovered the alleged sponsors behind the brutal murder of His Royal Majesty Ignatius Asor, the traditional ruler of Obudi Agwa community in Oguta Local Government Area, along with several others, during a series of violent attacks across the state.
According to a detailed investigation report presented to the Commissioner of Police by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the unit, ACP Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa, six suspects have been arrested in connection with the killings.
Those arrested include Milletus Ihueze (alias Egede), Magnus Ejiogu (alias Emu), Paschal Ibuaku, Uzoechi Okechukwu, Mgbojisor Odunze, and Iwuji Chima Bright.
The investigation revealed that the monarch was assassinated on 14 November 2022 inside his palace by gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), led by a notorious commander identified as Uzondu Nneji.
Police findings indicate that Ihueze and Ejiogu allegedly sponsored the attack, paying ₦4 million and ₦1 million respectively to the assailants. The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime, citing a long-standing land dispute and previous police petitions as their motive.
Further investigations linked the same group to several violent crimes between 2022 and 2025, including the killing of six police officers attached to Agwa Police Division, two expatriates, and multiple residents across Oguta and nearby local government areas.
Other suspects— Ibuaku, Okechukwu, Odunze, and Bright— also confessed to being members of the IPOB/ESN network, with some identified in viral videos connected to the group’s operations.
The report named Uzondu Nneji, who escaped from Owerri Correctional Centre on 5 April 2025, as the operational commander of the ESN cell in Agwa. He allegedly coordinated several deadly attacks before going into hiding.
Following the revelations, police operatives raided several ESN camps across Imo State, recovering firearms, ammunition, charms, and other incriminating materials, which have been properly documented by the Unit Exhibit Officer.
The report recommended that Ihueze, Ejiogu, Ibuaku, Okechukwu, Odunze, and Bright be prosecuted for criminal conspiracy, terrorism, treason, arson, unlawful possession of firearms, and murder.
The Imo State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to arresting Nneji and other fleeing suspects, pledging continued collaboration with security agencies to restore peace and ensure justice for victims of violent crimes in Oguta, Agwa, and other parts of the state.