The Umualumaku community in Uzoagba, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, has demanded justice following a violent attack that left a local vigilante, identified simply as Obinna, hospitalized after being shot in the leg by suspected hoodlums.
The incident occurred on June 1, 2025, at one of the security gates erected by the community.
Obinna, who has been receiving medical treatment since the attack, narrated that he was on routine night patrol with a colleague when gunmen opened fire on them at the newly erected gate.
“It happened on June 1. Around 1am, me and my colleague went to monitor the new gate. I saw people trying to remove it—people I recognized as Mr. Kingsley Anosike’s security men. Immediately I flashed my torchlight on them and asked who was there, they opened fire and shot me in the leg,” he recounted.
He explained that the community had previously erected two gates which were allegedly destroyed by Anosike, adding that the current gate was the third attempt.
Obinna, now in Abuja for further medical care and investigation, lamented that the injury has left him incapacitated and unable to provide for his three children. “I have been in the hospital for the past month. I can’t walk without crutches. Doctors fixed metal in my leg. My children’s education is now uncertain. The community has been footing my bills. We need justice,” he said.
The Umualumaku community, in a petition dated July 5, 2025, addressed to the Director of State Services, the National Security Adviser, and the Inspector General of Police, accused Anosike and his associates of orchestrating multiple violent attacks.
The petition stated: “In the early hours of May 6, 2025, the people of Umueziogwu community, led and funded by Kingsley Anosike alongside Martin Opara, Goddy Ugocha, Chiky Leo Mbara, Odi Leo Mbara, and others, stormed our boundary armed with sophisticated weapons. They vandalised our gate, engaged in shooting, took 15 persons hostage, and fatally wounded one vigilante, who is currently in intensive care.”
Obinna’s senior colleague, Mr. Akuta Innocent, corroborated the incident, noting that he saw a Siena vehicle allegedly linked to Anosike’s associates passing the gate area multiple times on the night of the attack. He later recovered “three AK-47 cartridges, two assault rifle cartridges, two shovels, hammers, a face-cap, and a pair of slippers,” which were handed over to the police.
Barrister Kingsley Onunwa, legal adviser to the community, confirmed that the matter has been charged to court. He described the incident as “unfortunate, unwarranted, and uncivilized,” stressing that justice and adequate compensation must be served for Obinna, whose life, he said, has been shattered by the attack.
