Grief, outrage and mourning have enveloped parts of Anambra state following the tragic death of yet to be identified nurse who was allegedly killed by stray bullet of state security operatives, Udogachi.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred on Friday, May 15, 2026 at Oba in Idemili South LGA, when members of the local security task force were reportedly chasing a fleeing suspect within the community.
Witnesses claimed that after failing to immediately apprehend the suspect, some operatives allegedly opened fire in a crowded public area.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that a team of police officers accompanied by some individuals from Kaduna had come to Oba to arrest a suspect.
Sources revealed that after obtaining an arrest warrant from the Police Area Command in Nnewi, they moved into the community for the arrest.
Nevertheless, things turned ugly when relatives of the person they came to arrest reportedly mistook the operation for a kidnapping attempt and raised an alarm, triggering confusion and intervention from state security operatives, Udogachi.
However, our source further revealed that in the middle of the pursuit, witnesses allege that Udogachi operatives began firing live ammunition in a public area.
It was during the gunfire that a stray bullet reportedly struck an innocent woman who was riding on a commercial motorcycle (okada) with her son after going to pick him up from school.
The woman was said to have died instantly.
What reportedly happened afterwards has raised even more suspicions.
According to family source, “the security operatives later returned and took away her body. But instead of depositing it in a mortuary within Oba, they moved it to Boromi Hospital Mortuary in Onitsha.”
It was also gathered that when the family first visited the Udogachi office in search of answers, they were allegedly told the outfit knew nothing about the incident and that they were “protectors of lives and property, not killers.”
They also checked the police station, where they were reportedly advised to search for her body at Boromi Hospital.
Our source explained that “when relatives finally located the body, they claimed what they found left them shocked.
“According to their account, the deceased allegedly had a gunshot wound.”
Residents express shock, demand justice
Following the ugly development, residents of the community have demanded justice for the alleged killing of the victim.
Angered by this, residents have continued to question the operational methods and discipline of local security operatives in the state.
One of the residents, Chukwuemeka Muoneme said that “this is not the kind of security we were promised.
“How can innocent people become victims during an operation in a public place?”
In the meantime, concerned residents are now calling on Chukwuma Soludo to order a full investigation into the incident and review the activities of the security outfit.
“We want justice for the woman and accountability from those involved,” another resident added. “Security agencies are supposed to protect lives, not endanger them.”
However, all efforts to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer PPRO Anambra state police command Mr Tochukwu Ikenga proved abortive as he was not picking his calls.
