Three members of the armed gang that attacked the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Anambra State, Dr Ben Nwankwo, earlier this month have been killed.
A press release by Mr Nweke Nweke, spokesperson for Agunechemba Security Outfit, the state-controlled security agency, stated that while the men were killed, other members of the gang escaped with gunshot wounds.
Dr Nwankwo was attacked on June 3 by armed men along the Amansea-Awa-Ndiukwuenu-Ufuma Road while returning to Awka from his village. He and another official, said to be a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, escaped. However, a friend who was travelling with them in the vehicle was shot dead.
Two police operatives attached to them who had travelled with them were also killed, while the armed men fled the scene.
But Nweke, in the press release, said three members of a criminal gang killed by operatives after a gun duel around the Aguata area were the same individuals who attacked Nwankwo.
The statement read: “The Agunechemba unit from FOB Aguata in Anambra State on Tuesday, 23/06/2026, neutralized three members of a terror group masquerading in federal government security uniforms and who had previously attacked the convoy of Chief of Staff to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, resulting in casualties.
“Several others, however, managed to flee with gunshot injuries. This gang has caused considerable turmoil in the region.
“With thorough intelligence gathering, our team, in partnership with the police, zeroed in on the gang in the Isuofia-Igboukwu area, where they were robbing innocent victims. As our operatives approached, the gang attempted to flee.
“In a determined chase, Agunechemba and police units sealed off all escape routes in the Aguata Council Area. Realizing they were being pursued, the gang opened fire, but thanks to divine intervention and the ancestors of Anambra State, three notorious gang members were neutralized without any casualties among Agunechemba operatives.
“Our intelligence indicates that these dangerous individuals were using a white Hilux van for a variety of criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery and the abduction of innocent civilians throughout the Anambra South Senatorial District and beyond, operating freely.”
He listed items recovered from the suspects to include a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG), AK-47 rifles and other weapons, the gang’s operational white Hilux van, as well as various charms, handbags and other incriminating items.
