RULAAC said Chief John Nneli of Umudiani Village, Achalla in Awka North LGA, his younger brother and three sons were taken in an early morning operation by operatives believed to be attached to Operation Udo ga Achi.
According to the group, the operation was carried out alongside persons involved in a longstanding land dispute with the family. Family members said they could not locate the men at nearby police stations before later finding them detained at the vigilante group’s headquarters in Awka.
“While we acknowledge that security agencies have the authority to investigate criminal allegations, the circumstances surrounding this operation raise serious questions about due process, transparency, and the possible involvement of security actors in matters that appear civil in nature,” RULAAC Executive Director Okechukwu Nwanguma said in a statement Friday.
The group linked the incident to previous complaints, including the widely reported assault of a female NYSC member by operatives enforcing the state’s sanitation policy. RULAAC said it has also received multiple allegations of arbitrary arrests, intimidation, extortion and use of security personnel in private disputes across Anambra.
RULAAC noted that the state’s security architecture “was never intended to become an instrument for advancing private interests, settling personal scores, enforcing private claims, or circumventing lawful dispute-resolution mechanisms.”
The group called on Gov. Chukwuma Soludo’s administration to order an independent investigation into the Nneli case, clarify the mandate of Operation Udo ga Achi regarding civil disputes, and establish oversight and complaints mechanisms for misconduct by security personnel.
“Security and human rights are not mutually exclusive. Effective security is best achieved when security institutions operate within the law, respect the rights and dignity of citizens, and remain accountable to the public they serve,” Nwanguma said.