Police Bust Criminal Hideout in Ukpor, Arrest Suspect Involved in Sit-at-Home Enforcement, 2022 Brutal Killing of Policewoman

In a major breakthrough under Operation Udo Ga Chi – Zero Kidnapping, the Anambra State Police Command has busted a criminal hideout in Ukpor, leading to the arrest of a suspect allegedly involved in the enforcement of illegal sit-at-home orders and the 2022 murder of a police officer.

Operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad and Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on credible intelligence, raided a criminal camp located in Osumoghu Isieke Village, Ihiala Local Government Area, on April 25, 2025. During the operation, officers apprehended a 35-year-old male suspect identified as Ewulu Chikwo.

Police say the suspect and his gang were planning to enforce an illegal sit-at-home order in the area the following Monday. During interrogation, Chikwo confessed to being a member of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and admitted to participating in the 2022 armed attack on the Ukpor Divisional Police Headquarters, where a policewoman, Inspector Stella Maris, was gruesomely murdered.

Following the arrest, the Joint Security Force has intensified patrols and surveillance across the region. The Anambra State Police Command assured residents of its continued efforts to apprehend other members of the gang and respond swiftly to any credible security information.

The development was confirmed by Police Public Relations Officer SP Tochukwu Ikenga in a statement issued from the Command Headquarters in Awka on April 29, 2025.