Ex-councillor Petitions Police Over Alleged Kidnapping, Torture, Threats To Life In Ohafia
A former councillor in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, Hon. Uguru Uduma, has petitioned the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 9 Command, Umuahia, alleging that he was kidnapped, tortured, humiliated and extorted by a group of youths in Amaekpu Ohafia on November 6, 2025.
The petition, dated November 14, 2025, and signed by his lawyer, Anaga Kalu Anaga Esq., states that Hon. Uduma, a native of Okagwe Ohafia, was abducted along the Amekpu–Okagwe Road by a group of men identified as Chidi Igu Uduma, Eke Daniel Urum, Ulu Nkata, Okorie Olugu, Ochu Kalu Agwu, Okpo Leonard, and others yet to be identified.
According to the petition, the men were allegedly armed with dangerous and offensive weapons and forcefully took the former councillor to a hideout within Amaekpu Community.
The petition states that at the hideout, Hon. Uduma was subjected to “various manners of physical and psychological torture,” including repeated beatings with sticks and fists. His abductors allegedly accused him of insulting Eke Daniel Urum, the councillor representing Isiama Ward in the Ohafia Legislative Council.
The petition further alleges that while brutalising him, the attackers boasted openly that they had the backing of the Abia State Deputy Governor, Chief Ikechukwu Emetu, claiming that “no authority, including the police,” could stop them.
His humiliation, according to the document, was recorded by the assailants and posted online, where the video quickly went viral. The former councillor has reportedly offered to present the video to the police.
The petition states that after several hours of torture, the attackers locked him up in a private cell and demanded a ₦100,000 ransom for his release.
According to the petition, while still being held in the “torture chamber,” Hon. Uduma managed to call the Deputy Governor to report his ordeal at the hands of youths who claimed to be acting on his authority. The petition states that the Deputy Governor allegedly listened but did not intervene and later switched off his phone.
Hon. Uduma also contacted the traditional ruler of his community, HRH Ezie Odum Amogu, asking him to reach out to the Deputy Governor on his behalf. The traditional ruler reportedly did so, but the detention continued until the demanded ₦100,000 ransom was eventually paid.
The petition further states that since his release, Hon. Uduma and his family have continued to receive death threats from the alleged perpetrators and now live in fear for their lives and property.
The petition urges the police to carry out a “thorough investigation of unlawful abduction, torture and threats to life,” and to ensure that those behind the “criminal acts” face the consequences of their actions.
Wife recounts events leading to the attack
Speaking to journalists, Hon. Uduma’s wife, Mrs Ezinne Uduma Uguru, gave additional details on events leading up to the November 6 incident.
She explained that the conflict began on 28 October, during a road construction project her husband was supervising. She said tension arose when the councillor, Eke Daniel Urum, arrived at the site insisting that he also brought tippers for the road filling, even though the workers had already agreed on payment procedures with the Tipper Union.
Mrs Uduma said the councillor became angry when the Union chairman referred to him as “one guy” over the phone, insisting he should be addressed as an Honourable. He later accused her husband of slapping him — an allegation she said was disproved when both her husband and the site engineer denied it while speaking to the Deputy Governor.
She narrated that on 6 November, her husband was invited to Skog Lodge by Chidi Igu Uduma, who claimed the councillor reported him for disrespect. After hours of waiting, several men arrived on motorcycles, seized him, and took him to where the councillor and the youth leader, Ulu Nkata, were waiting.
Mrs Uduma said her husband was confronted over the alleged disrespect and then punished.
“At about 6:30pm, they flogged him, humiliated him, and threw him inside their secret cell,” she said. “They told him to bail himself with ₦100,000.”
She added that when she confronted the councillor the following day to ask why her husband was treated so brutally, he allegedly replied that nothing could be done to him “as long as the Deputy Governor is his boss,” adding in Igbo: “usu enweghi ọnụ.”
Deputy Governor denies involvement
When contacted, the Office of the Deputy Governor had earlier denied any involvement in the matter. In a statement issued on November 12, Deputy Governor Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu described the incident as a “local political disagreement” in which he played no part, insisting he neither authorised nor supported any act of violence against Hon. Uduma or any citizen.
Police yet to respond
As at press time, the Zone 9 Police Command, Umuahia, had not issued an official response to the petition.
