The police in Anambra State say they have uncovered an alleged plot by four men to murder a Nigerian man and then take over his landed properties in the state.
Tochukwu Ikenga, the police spokesman in the state, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
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Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the incident happened in Ukwulu, a community in Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesman said the police uncovered the alleged murder plot following “strategic intelligence emplacement” of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Nnanna Oji.
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“The breakthrough was recorded on the evening of 12th August 2026, when operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, in collaboration with Agunechemba security personnel attached to Amichi, Nnewi, acting on credible intelligence, swiftly moved and disrupted the alleged criminal plot,” he said.
He said the operation led to the arrest of the four suspects identified as Obiora Nwankwo, 38; Chiadikobi Okoye, 36; Emmanuel Mboko, 42; and Ifeanyi Obi, 37 years – all males.
Mr Ikenga said the four suspects were arrested at different locations in Ukwulu and Amichi, another community in the council area.
The police spokesman did not disclose the identity of the victim.
He said during the operation to disrupt the plot, two firearms and live ammunition were also recovered from the suspects.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspects were allegedly linked to a plot to murder a citizen and subsequently take over his landed properties.
“The Command is, however, conducting a thorough investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged conspiracy, identify other persons who may be connected to the plot and determine the specific roles played by each suspect,” he said.
“The suspects are currently in police custody and will be made to face the full weight of the law upon the conclusion of investigations.”
The police commissioner, he said, stressed that the feat demonstrates the importance of the Command’s renewed intelligence-led policing strategy, which is designed to detect criminal threats early, disrupt planned attacks and prevent the loss of lives and property.
Prohibited in Nigeria
Attempted murder is outlawed in Section 320 of Nigeria Criminal Code Act. Offenders, on conviction, face life imprisonment, the section said.
For Anambra State, attempted murder is expressly a criminal offence under the Criminal Code Law of Anambra State, Cap. 36, Vol. 2, 1991 which considers the offence as a felony.
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Several Nigerians have been convicted for attempted murder in Anambra State and elsewhere.
Section 275 (a) of the Criminal Code Law prescribes the same life imprisonment for offenders upon conviction.
Last month, a state high court in Ogidi, Anambra State, sentenced a man, Chibuike Joseph, to life imprisonment for stabbing a man in 2017.
The convict was charged and sentenced under the Criminal Code, Cap. 36, Vol. II, Laws of Anambra State, 1991.
Similarly, an Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, in 2024, sentenced a 43-year-old man, Akinyemi Ojo, to life imprisonment over a murder attempt on a woman in the farm.
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