POLICE ARREST 62-YEAR-OLD SECESSIONIST INFORMANT OVER EXTORTION IN ANAMBRA
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 62-year-old man, Bernard Odinchefu, alleged to be an informant for a secessionist group and leader of a major extortion network in Ihiala Local Government Area.
According to a statement on Thursday by the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the suspect was arrested on October 1, 2025, by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu. Preliminary investigations revealed that Odinchefu coordinated illegal levy collections from traders and families in Isseke and Orsumoghu communities.
Ikenga disclosed that traders were forced to pay at least N10,000 monthly, while families conducting burial ceremonies were compelled to pay N100,000 or more before holding such events. The illicit proceeds, he said, were allegedly remitted to the suspect’s commander in a terrorist camp.
“The suspect is in custody, and further investigation is ongoing,” Ikenga stated, adding that the arrest was part of ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal structures linked to insurgent groups.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, assured residents that the command remains resolute in its commitment to rid the state of elements exploiting citizens under the guise of agitation.
The development follows an earlier raid on August 3, 2025, when police operatives dislodged a secessionist camp in Orumba North LGA, killing four suspects and rescuing a kidnapped victim.
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