ENUGU POLICE: MAN WHO RECORDED NDC GUN ATTACK ARRESTED OVER CYBERBULLYING, NOT SHOOTING

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The Enugu State Police Command has clarified that a 45-year-old man, Ani Chidi, was arrested and prosecuted over allegations of cyberbullying, false accusations and threats to life, not for recording a gun attack at a meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in the state.

The command said the case against Chidi was separate from the ongoing investigation into the attack on an NDC meeting in Obuoffia-Awkunanaw, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe.

According to the police, the Ozalla Police Division received a complaint on September 12, 2026, from residents identified as Ani Nnabuike, Aninwene Monday and others against Chidi.

The case was subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

Ndukwe said investigators found that Chidi had circulated videos accusing the complainants, alongside Hon. USA Igwesi and Solomon Nwobodo, of masterminding the attack.

He added that Chidi also allegedly accused Igwesi of being a drug dealer who sent gunmen to kill residents of Obuoffia.

The police spokesperson said Chidi was unable to substantiate the allegations during the investigation.

“During the investigation, the suspect was unable to substantiate the allegations contained in the published videos. He was consequently arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Enugu State for cyberbullying and threatening violence, and remanded in Correctional Custody by the court,” Ndukwe said.

He clarified that the case was distinct from the investigation into the invasion of the NDC meeting, which is being handled by the Zone 13 Headquarters in Ukpo-Dunukofia.

The command urged the public to disregard claims suggesting that suspected gunmen involved in the attack had been released while the man who recorded the incident remained in custody.

Ndukwe added that the Commissioner of Police, Mamman Giwa, had reaffirmed the command’s commitment to neutrality and urged political actors to refrain from using social media to commit cybercrimes.

The police clarification followed allegations by the Enugu State chapter of the NDC and human rights advocates, who accused law enforcement authorities of selective justice over the incident.

The opposition party had alleged that armed men invaded its ward meeting in Obuoffia-Awkunanaw on September 12, 2026, shooting at members and disrupting the gathering.

Chidi reportedly recorded the incident and uploaded footage online.

He was subsequently arraigned on October 5, 2026, before Chief Magistrate Sir F. E. Chukwu at an Enugu East Magistrate Court sitting at Nkwo Nike.

According to the report, he faces three counts bordering on cybercrime and criminal defamation under Section 24(2)(a) and (c)(i) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024, in Charge No. Enu/CM 151c/2026.

He was remanded in custody following his arraignment.

The NDC subsequently accused state authorities of shielding the alleged perpetrators of the attack while using judicial processes against a key witness who recorded the incident.

The allegations against Chidi and the opposition party’s claims regarding the attack remain distinct from the police investigation into the incident.