Police arrest four for murder of friend in Anambra over land fraud

Police in Anambra State, Nigeria, have arrested four people in connection with the murder of 56-year-old Kelechi Madu. The victim was found dead in a bush two days after his wife reported him missing.

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The Anambra State Police Command has uncovered the circumstances surrounding the gruesome murder of a 56-year old man, Kelechi Madu, in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of the State.

According to a statement from the state police command spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the main suspect, 32-year-old Ifeanyi Nwankwo, confessed to orchestrating the killing. Nwankwo allegedly obtained money from Madu under the pretense of helping him acquire land. To cover up the fraudulent transaction, Nwankwo reportedly hired two other individuals to murder Madu.

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The revelation followed the arrest of his friend, Mr Ifeanyi Nwankwo, 32 years old, who allegedly confessed to plotting the murder and engaging two others to execute the act.

Madu's wife reported him missing on August 18, 2026, after he failed to return home the previous evening. Police, along with local vigilantes and the victim's family, launched a search. Later that day, the wife discovered her husband's body in a bush in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area, bearing a deep axe wound to the head.

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In the evening of same day, however, the wife returned to the station in distress and reported that her husband had been found dead in a nearby bush at Umuobi, Awkuzu.

Investigators arrested Nwankwo, who allegedly admitted to his role in the murder plot. The police have evacuated Madu's body for preservation and are continuing their investigation into the crime.

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Police operatives immediately mobilised to the scene, where the deceased was found lying lifeless with a deep axe cut to his head.