The Anambra State Police Command has dismissed reports alleging that the state recorded fourteen cases of political assassinations between 2022 and 2024.
The allegation, credited to one Mr. Salaudeen Hashim in a report by Punch Newspapers, was described by the Command as “false, misleading, and unfounded.”
In a statement issued yesterday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the publication was a product of the writer’s imagination and does not reflect the true security situation in Anambra State.
“Ordinarily, the Command would not have responded to such baseless allegations. However, for the sake of public confidence, relative peace, and the safety currently being enjoyed not only in Anambra but across the South-East region, it has become necessary to set the record straight,” the statement read.
The police explained that while there have been security incidents in the state, none of them qualified as political assassinations. Instead, the incidents were linked to criminal elements, including non-state actors and self-styled agitators, whose activities are being confronted by security agencies.
The Command further noted that areas listed in the report as volatile—such as Ihiala, Ogbaru, Nnewi South, Orumba North, and Onitsha North—recently hosted peaceful senatorial and state assembly bye-elections, contrary to the claims of violence and political targeting.
Reaffirming the state’s relative safety, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, said Anambra remains one of the most peaceful states in the South-East due to proactive security operations in partnership with other agencies.
He urged the media to avoid sensational publications capable of creating panic and misrepresenting realities on ground.
“The Command reassures Ndi Anambra and the general public of our unwavering commitment to protecting lives and property. Residents are enjoined to disregard these false claims and continue to support security agencies with credible information,” the police statement concluded.