AGUNECHEMBA -the official Anambra State vigilante outfit has served a greater purpose of providing security for places that remain a mystery for the Nigerian police. However, despite closing gaps of insecurity, their activities are trailed by shadows of rights abuse.
For Stephen Abumchukwu Okoye, a masonry worker, his personal encounter with operatives of the Agunechemba has left him with a bitter experience. He recalled the commando-style of his arrest which he says was a display of intimidation and unprofessionalism in their mode of operation.
Riding from Umunya to Umudioka on November 9, 2025, started like any other journey. “The wind and hum of the bike provided a steady rhythm as I drove my Bajaj bike. However, as I reached the bustling hub of Afoigwe market near Ogidi, the rhythm was violently shattered,” he recalled.
“Without warning or explanation, I was intercepted. An official from the Agunechemba group blocked my path. There was no request for identification, no mention of a warrant, and no explanation of an offence.
“The official launched into a brutal assault, raining blows and verbal abuse upon me as if my mere presence on the road was a crime.
According to him, the situation felt helpless until a Police constable stationed nearby noticed the commotion and stepped in to query the official on the of the assault.
”The intervention provided a momentary reprieve, but what followed was perhaps more shocking than the beating itself. Rather than showing remorse, the official turned away. With an air of total defiance, he walked to a nearby stand, pulled out Indian hemp, and began to smoke openly.”
There I stood—bruised and shaken—watching a man tasked with “security” flagrantly violate the law in the presence of a police officer. It was a stark, bitter irony: the enforcer had become the lawbreaker, showing an absolute disregard for the uniform he wore and the citizen he had just harmed,” Okote said, stressing that his experience highlights a dire need for systemic change.
“If these groups are to exist, the government must be far more intentional and rigorous in their recruitment processes. There must be proper background checks to weed out violent or unstable elements,” he said.
For a retired security consultant, who had insider knowledge of Agunechemba operations but does not want his name mentioned in print due to fear of victimisation, the group had, through high-handedness and recklessness, made a mockery of the records they had recorded in the fight against insecurity in the state.
“In my several encounters with them, the group will readily tell you that they are accountable only to the governor and that puts them above the police. The police are very careful in challenging them because it is seen as a confrontation with the governor.
“Recently, policemen from a police unit, I don’t want to name, were on regular patrol around the town hall. These Agunechemba boys had set up a roadblock, and the police felt that they should not be restricted, especially when they are on special assignments by the informal group.
“So, when they made to pass, one of the guys actually hit the police vehicle with the stick he was holding for daring to pass them. The policemen took offence and stopped their vehicle. There was an open confrontation as one of the Agunechemba boys grabbed the magazine of a policeman. Unfortunately, from my further interaction with them, they have no intention of making a case out of this. This was what happened at Eke Nkpor in mid-January,” he disclosed.
Onyeka Onwumere, a young trader who deals in various kinds of clothing at the Onitsha Main Market, narrated a similar encounter in the hands of the security outfit. On Thursday, November 13, 2025, at the Onitsha main market, Onwumere witnessed the recklessness of these officials allegedly killed a pregnant woman and injured several others out of carelessness and enforcement exercise at the market.
“The indiscriminate killing is becoming alarming in this state. All the security outfits need training and retraining. Those who are bearing arms need psychological training,” Onwumere, who was an eyewitness to the shooting spree at Onitsha main market, told The ICIR in Onitsha.
Onwumere expressed sadness over the uncoordinated and unfortunate manner in which most local security outfits operate in the state, which has put inhabitants under some form of tension.
He, however, believes that reforms, training and retraining of the local security outfits licensed for operations in the state could help them do their jobs better.
Similar cases are prevalent in the major city clusters of Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Aguleri, and Awka, the state capital. Residents are constantly apprehensive and discuss the approach of the local security vigilante operatives in hushed tones.
“Last few months, the Agunechemba shot a young boy at Ugwu Nwasike along the Nkpor-Ogbunike Road of Anambra State. Their infringement on human rights has become unbearable. We have also witnessed them delve into land dispute issues, which is not their core area of mandate. It appears no one is calling them to order, and this is not fair,” Senior Legislative aide to Senator Godswil Akpabio, an Anambra indigene, Ogochukwu Nwankwo, told The ICIR.
“A few months back, one of the commanders of Agunenchemba was caught in the kidnapping web and was being interrogated by Ken Emeakai, who heads the vigilante services in the state,” Nwankwo said.
The pattern of Agunechemba’s operation resulted into last year’s assault of a youth corps member. The incident occurred on July 23, 2025, when operatives of the group stormed a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) lodge and assaulted a female corps member, Jennifer Edema Elohor, and her colleagues. The vigilantes accused them of being involved in internet fraud, despite producing their NYSC identification cards and uniforms.
The incident sparked widespread anger and concern among traders and residents, with many demanding justice for the victims.
Concerns of human rights abuse
The Head of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria(HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, expressed concerns over the mode of operations of Agunechemba. He described it as “terrible with human rights violations.”
“The Agunechemba is a new security outfit that was set up by the Anambra State governor through legislative means. I don’t think it’s been more than three years since its legislation. It has become one of the most notorious human rights violators in Nigeria.
“In fact, they seem to be competing with the Nigerian police, Anambra State command. Anambra State is a special case. Our eyes are there to monitor their activities,” Onwubiko said.
“We have highlighted dozens of cases of grave human rights violations, one of which everyone knows, which is the case of a female corps member who was brutally attacked by the outfit.
He noted that the rights agency is currently monitoring cases of brutal attacks on traders by Agunechemba.
“Our major concern is that they have deviated from their core mandate of preventive security and ventured into revenue generation, adding that “We have also noticed their harassment of street traders and collection of tax.”
State government speaks
The Chief Press Secretary to the Anambra State Governor, Christian Aburime, told The ICIR that the government was evaluating and addressing concerns raised by the people in respect to unprofessionalism.
“Measures are already in place to address concerns raised in several quarters about the Agunechemba security outfit,” Aburime told The ICIR.
The Director of Operations of the State Local Vigilante Services, Okompi Chinenye Ihenko, who spoke to The ICIR when concerns of rights abuse were raised, said, “We are looking into public outcry on some of our operations, and we are correcting that through training by the Nigeria Police Force.
How and why Agunechemba was formed
Disturbed by the rising incidents of kidnapping, cultism, drug abuse and other criminal activities in the state, in January 2025, the Anambra State government enacted the Anambra State Homeland Security Law,2025.
The ICIR reports that the Act, which repealed the Anambra State Vigilante Law 2014, provided for the establishment of a state security outfit known as Agunechemba, among others.
In line with the provisions of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law (ASHSL2025) and the determination of key stakeholders to combat insecurity in Anambra, the ASHSL 2025 was operationalised with the establishment of Agunechemba units at the town/community, local government and state levels.
A multi-agency security task force named “Operation Udo ga-achi’ was also launched to ensure effective policing across all nooks and crannies of the state.
Many stakeholders who spoke to The ICIR said the establishment of Agunechemba is relevant and appropriate given the contemporary security threats facing Anambra.
NEXIER 2025 Security Outlook report states that Anambra was among the states most affected by violent incidents like kidnapping, cult clashes, gunmen attacks and extrajudicial killings.
Despite concerns of human rights abuses, the state’s vigilant services have recorded commendable success in combating insecurity in Anambra State.
Henry Icheku, an Uber driver whose movement cuts across every part of the state, told The ICIR that despite the concerns of rights violations, the Agunechemba security outfit has some positive impacts.
“As a driver, I have come across dangerous elements in lonely places. Elements that cannot be identified, many of whom have constituted a security menace to the state.
There are still huge concerns of insecurity thriving in Anambra state despite the much-touted progress made by the Agunechemba vigilante services.
What does data say about insecurity in Anambra?
Despite the relevance, appropriateness, and successes of Agunechemba, data from NEXIERS Nigerian Violent Conflicts Database (NNVCD) show that criminal elements still afflict the state with various forms of violence.
For instance, the number of violent incidents in Anambra State in the first half (January to June) 2025 reduced to 16 from 18 recorded in the same period in 2024. Similarly, the number of reported kidnap victims in Anambra State reduced to six in 2025 from seven recorded in the same period in 2025.
However, the number of deaths from violent incidents in Anambra State increased to 30 from 16 recorded in the same period in the previous year.
Notably, the goodwill enjoyed by Agunechemba suffered a serious setback following the recent event involving excessive use of force, leading to assault and abuse of Jennifer Elobor, a female corps member serving in the state, by persons confirmed to be operatives of Agunechemba.
Residents’, stakeholders’ concerns
A Public Affairs Analyst, Emmanuel Izeji, who resides in Onitsha, told The ICIR that the Agunechemba is part of the local arm of local policing empowered by the state. He, however, said that despite their inefficiencies, their work is still commendable.
Izeji noted that they monitor and enforce, in most cases, traffic laws, state cleanliness, and anti-touting laws.
“In the case of Agunaechemba, I ask: If the police did their job in eradicating kidnappers and non-state actors, would this security outfit be initiated? It is important that we apportion blame properly to determine the problems effectively.
“There is a need for close inspection of the people for compliance. Sincerely, this group did a tremendous job of keeping grassroots activities in order. Some sacrificed their lives to fight touts and expose their dungeons and structures. Anyone who has lived in Anambra state and returns to comfortably and confidently move around Upper Iweka and significant Anambra business axis will not only appreciate the initiative and the Akaodo people,” he added.
Other residents who spoke to The ICIR said the operations of Agunechemba are handy as they could go where the Police fear to enter and have the capacity to confront the daredevil criminality of “unknown gunmen” inside the bushes.
“Might is power. Just like in several aspects of our national life, when a politician will gleefully tell you to go to Court. Agunechemba has done fairly well but has its own issues. We can only continue to emphasise their reforms for improved services,” a Law Professor at Shaanahan University, , John Akachukwu Mmaduakor, said.
