The recent murder of Ifesinachi Onyekere, a young entrepreneur abducted on July 27 and killed despite paid ransom, has reignited debate over insecurity in Anambra State. Onyekere’s case is one among many, and has raised questions about Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s capacity to resolve the state’s security crisis.
In the wake of Onyekere’s death, new security data paints a mixed picture of falling fatalities but persistent threats. They include violent secessionists, ransom kidnappings with mutilation, cult clashes, armed robbery, and alleged corruption among certain traditional leaders.
Kidnappings, in particular, surged in late 2024 and spilled into early 2025, often ending in killings even after ransoms were paid. A female banker and a state lawmaker are among those who never made it home alive.
Fatalities Decline In Six Months
Data from SBM Intelligence show that killings in Anambra have been declining quarter by quarter in 2025.
On July 30, the research and risk consultancy firm updated its quarterly chart for the 2025 second quarter (Q2) media-reported killings in Nigeria.
THE WHISTLER’s analysis of the data showed that Anambra recorded a decline in fatalities in Q2 2025, when compared to Q1 2025.
In the latest quarterly update, SBM recorded 39 reported killings in the second quarter of 2025, which constitutes a 38.08 percent drop from 63 in the first quarter. Q1 marked a 33.68 percent decline from the 95 deaths recorded in Q4 2024, the state’s deadliest quarter between January 2024 and June 2025.
Speaking to THE WHISTLER, a security analyst with SBM Intelligence, David Nwaigwe, attributed some of the progress to the Anambra State Homeland Law 2025, known locally as Agunechemba. The law created a state-controlled security outfit to work alongside the police and vigilante groups, with authority to coordinate operations across the state.
“What we saw immediately after the launch of the operation was a general decline in insecurity, because once you talk about the southeast, the major security threat is the secessionist violence,” Nwaigwe said.
But with the governorship election approaching, Nwaigwe warned that Anambra could see a relapse into politically-motivated violence, as seen in past election years. The recent alleged attempted assassination of PDP governorship candidate, Jude Ezenwafor, in Abuja, he said, shows “how heated the political scene in the state is becoming” and could be a sign of worse to come.
According to him, Agunechemba’s early momentum is fading away, when compared to its first months. The slowdown, he said, risks emboldening criminal groups.
“It appears that the outfit was more of a PR campaign to hinder the group from criminal activities rather than a stringent measure to eliminate the menace in the state.
“It also appears like the criminals are beginning to adapt to their standard of operation.
“So, there are tendencies for an increase in politically-motivated attacks but the scale of it is yet unknown and it largely depends on how the Agunechemba can respond to those threats,” said warned.
Historical trends support the security analyst’s concerns about pre and post election security challenges. In 2021, the last election year, killings jumped 46.93 percent between Q1 and Q2 under Governor Willie Obiano, dropped in Q3, then surged 63.63 percent in Q4 when the election was held, per data from SBM Intelligence seen by THE WHISTLER.
While Q1 and Q2 of 2025 saw 102 reported killings (15.70 percent fewer than the 121 in the same period of 2021), the underlying pattern of violence around elections remains.
The threat is not confined to Anambra. Across the Southeast, fatalities have fluctuated. In Imo State, killings rose to 53 in Q2 2025, the highest in the region that quarter.
Enugu and Abia saw smaller changes, but security experts warn that porous borders allow criminals to strike in one state and retreat to another.
Nwaigwe noted that after Agunechemba’s launch, some secessionist attacks became cross-border operations, with assailants entering Anambra from Imo, carrying out attacks, and running back.
Regional data from SBM shows a 15.67 percent drop in killings in the Southeast from Q1 to Q2 2025 (185 to 156 deaths) but the numbers remain troubling.
“Overall there was a general decline of insecurity in the region in the second quarter of the year,” Nwaigwe noted.
“There is a need for better coordination between the police in Imo and Anambra State. That way, they would do a better job protecting the states.”
He said the case of Onyekere and many others are why a national debate over state policing cannot be delayed. He added that without sustained, effective security architecture, initiatives like Agunechemba would struggle to provide protection for residents.
