A former councillor in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, UdumaUguru, has petitioned Governor Alex Otti alleging that he suffered inhuman and physical torture in the hands of Councilor Eke Daniel Urum and a gang of Amaekpu Ohafia youths, which he alleged was orchestrated by Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, the Deputy Governor of Abia State.
In the petition obtained by The Whisperer on Tuesday, Mr Uduma Uguru, who described himself as a native of Okagwe Ohafia in Ohafia LGA, a former councillor, and a law-abiding citizen, wrote that he decided to draw the governor’s attention to the ordeal inflicted on him by young men from Amaekpu Ohafia working in league with Eke Daniel Urum and acting “at the behest of Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, the Deputy Governor of Abia State.”
He narrated that the genesis of the incident evolved from the ongoing rural road construction between Okagwe and Nkwebi communities being executed by the Greater Ohafia Development Authority (GODA), where he had been engaged as a supervisor to enhance cordial relations between the communities and contractors to ensure speedy delivery of the project.
He stated that his suitability for the role stemmed from his leadership positions as President of the Okagwe Development Union, Umuahia Branch, and Treasurer of the Interim National Executive Committee of the Okagwe Development Union.
According to him, shortly before the councillor left the project site, he called the Deputy Governor, who immediately called Uguru demanding to know why he “disgraced his ally,” Councilor Urum Daniel. Uguru said the Deputy Governor accused him of slapping the councillor, an allegation he denied, explaining that their disagreement was over the payment mode for Tipper drivers.
Uguru further explained that the Deputy Governor, dissatisfied with his denial, demanded that the site engineer speak with him. He then contacted the site engineer, Engr. Kalu Kalu Njoku, who also spoke with the Deputy Governor and denied the allegation made by the councillor. Uguru said he was assured that the issues were being resolved.
However, on November 6, 2025, Uguru received a call from the Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Ohafia Division, directing him to respond to a complaint of assault filed against him by Councilor Daniel Eke Urum. He said he immediately proceeded to the Command but was told the investigating officer was not available. Afterward, he visited Okagwe to assess the construction work and later accompanied the site engineer to Amaekpu Ohafia for lunch. While at the restaurant, he received a call from an Amaekpu youth who, unbeknownst to him, was among the attackers, asking for his location. When he confirmed his location, “within a short space of time some heavily armed youths on several motorbikes arrived at the restaurant.”
He stated that he was forced to remove his footwear and ordered to sit on the floor with his legs stretched out, whereupon he was flogged mercilessly, abused, brutalized, thoroughly humiliated, and filmed throughout the assault, while the attackers intermittently received directives from the Deputy Governor through phone calls.
Uguru said he was later dumped in a “dark and blood stained room,” which he identified as their detention center. While detained, he attempted calling the Deputy Governor thrice without answer, prompting him to reach out to the traditional ruler of his community, H.R.M. Eze Odum Amogu, requesting him to intervene with the Deputy Governor to secure his release.
He explained that although the Deputy Governor later called and demanded an explanation, he did not intervene for a long time. Uguru said his abductors later came to his cell and demanded a ransom of one hundred thousand Naira (N100,000) to regain his freedom. He explained that he could not readily provide the money and had to make several calls in a bid to raise the ransom, including contacting Engr. Obinna, the Director General of GODA.
According to him, the Director General answered his call, sought his location, arrived there and transferred the ransom money to the abductors before they released him.
Uguru noted that the video of a substantial part of the assault, humiliation and torment had been recorded and disseminated by the gang. He said the gang had been boasting that the Abia State Government “belongs to some of them” and that no authority would challenge them. He further alleged that individuals connected to the Deputy Governor, including his media men, had been threatening his life and that of his wife for daring to report the matter to the police and the court of public opinion.
While expressing uncertainty about how the police would treat his complaint, he stated his confidence that the governor, as Chief Executive and Security Officer of the state, would protect the lives and property of all citizens, including him. Uguru appealed to the governor to investigate the complaint, describing it as having “all the attributes of the crime of kidnapping,” with the purpose of ensuring that no Abia indigene suffers a similar ordeal and that all culprits involved in the act of kidnap, torture, and ransom collection are made to face the consequences of their criminal acts.
He expressed readiness to make available any further information required for a thorough investigation, adding that he had implicit confidence in the governor’s ability to ensure justice. He ended the petition by expressing his highest regards and thanking the governor for the anticipated prompt investigation of the matter.
