Intersociety Petitions Soludo to Disband Uli Vigilante Group Over Alleged Cross-Border Killings and Abductions in Imo

The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has been urged to immediately disband and prosecute members of a vigilante group operating from Ndikeokwu-Uli in the Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

The call came from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a human rights group, which petitioned the state government over a series of alleged cross-border killings, abductions, and extortion incidents targeting residents of the neighboring Egbuoma community in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

In the petition dated July 25, 2025, and addressed to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Security, Prince Ken Emeakai, Intersociety warned of an impending inter-communal conflict.

“The urgency of our letter is sequel to the fact that members of the victim-community, Egbuoma Autonomous Community in Oguta, Imo State, are furiously running out of patience, having endured and lived with such unprovoked attacks and humiliations since 2022,” the rights group said in a statement issued Monday and signed by its Board Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, alongside other members.

The group listed at least ten Egbuoma indigenes allegedly murdered by the Uli Central Vigilante Group since 2022. The victims include Chijioke Mgbeobu (March 2023), Sunday Onyebuchi (September 2022), Happiness Okorie (June 2023), Livinus Mmuo (May 2023), Ikechi Obiejemba (October 2023), Uchenna Ahize (December 2023), Stainless Ogunji (September 2023), Onyebuchi Okorie (February 2024), Chidi Ohanyele (January 5, 2024), and Nwute (February 1, 2025).

Intersociety further accused the vigilante group of detaining citizens for ransom under the guise of fighting for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

The organization called for the sealing of all vigilante camps and the immediate release of unlawfully detained persons, warning that continued inaction could trigger violent reprisals from affected communities.

“Cases of abductions by the deadly outfit have also hit Egbuoma Community, likewise collection of millions of naira as ‘bail fees’ from their close friends and relatives and their release or permanent disappearance thereafter.

“For instance, Citizen Achiose Odemgbe was abducted on July 29, 2024, at about 3pm and held illegally for over three weeks until his friends and relatives secured his release after paying the Vigilante-Assailants N2 million.

“Furthermore, Kosarachi Ohajiuba was abducted on June 20, 2025, and has not been freed till date. As if that was not enough, the killer-outfit went ahead to place a N2 million ransom or ‘bail fee’ on his head as a condition for setting him free.

“Cases also abound showing that even after paying the ransoms or ‘bail fees’, such victims are never returned to their families alive.”

Intersociety noted that the petition, titled “Calling For Thorough Investigation, Arrest, And Prosecution Of Leaders And Other Operatives Of The Uli Central Vigilante Group And Disbandment Of The Killer-Outfit For Incessantly Crossing Boundaries And Invading Egbuoma Community In Oguta (Imo State)”, has been acknowledged by the Governor’s aide, Prince Emeakai.