Kelechi Madu, 56, was murdered in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area, the state, just two days after his wife reported him missing, according to the Anambra State Police Command.
The principal suspect, 32-year-old Ifeanyi Nwankwo, a friend of the deceased, allegedly admitted to planning the murder and employing two other people to carry it out, according to a press statement released on Friday by SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the state police command spokesperson.
According to Ikenga, the inquiry showed that the suspect reportedly stole money from the dead by pretending to help him buy a plot of land. Then, in an effort to hide the alleged fraudulent transaction, the suspect recruited two other people to kill the deceased.
He claimed that on August 18, 2026, Madu’s wife filed a missing person’s report after he left the house in the evening of August 17 and did not come back.
According to him, police officers started a search and inquiry to determine the deceased’s location after receiving the report, collaborating with the deceased’s relatives and members of the local vigilante organization.
He claims that later that nite, the upset woman went back to the police station to deliver the terrible news that her husband had been discovered dead in a nearby bush in Umuobi, Awkuzu, in Oyi Local Government Area.
“The Anambra State Police Command has uncovered the circumstances surrounding the brutal murder of a 56-year-old man, Kelechi Madu, in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of the State,” the statement said.
The disclosure came after his 32-year-old companion, Mr. Ifeanyi Nwankwo, was arrested for reportedly confessing to organizing the murder and hiring two others to carry it out.
When the deceased’s wife reported on August 18, 2026, that her husband had gone out on the evening of August 17, 2026, and had not returned home, police officers, working with the deceased’s family and members of the local vigilante group, promptly started investigating and conducting a search to find him.
But that same day, in the evening, the distressed wife came back to the station to report that her husband had been discovered dead in a nearby bush in Umuobi, Awkuzu.
The victim was discovered laying motionless with a serious ax slash to his head when police officers arrived on the scene almost away. After that, the body was removed and placed in the hospital to be preserved.
“A friend of the deceased, Mr. Ifeanyi Nwankwo, was detained by the Command during the investigation and admitted to his role in the planning and execution of Mr. Kelechi Madu.
According to preliminary investigations, the suspect allegedly stole money from the deceased by pretending to help him buy a plot of property.
“The suspect allegedly hired two other people to murder him in an effort to hide the alleged fraudulent transaction and suppress the money obtained from the deceased.”
He claims that the Anambra State Command Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, has ordered that the investigation be stepped up in order to find and apprehend everyone connected to the murder and conspiracy.
“The Command is committed to making sure that everyone involved in the crime is prosecuted.
He continued, “The Command further assures the people of Anambra State that it will continue to strengthen intelligence-led policing and community partnership to prevent violent crimes, unravel criminal activities, and ensure that perpetrators face the full weight of the law.”
