Terror in Odoakpu: Family Cries for Help as Abducted Father Remains Missing Since July 2024

 

The family of Hyginus Arinze Nnanyelugo has been thrown into an agonizing search for answers following his abduction nearly ten months ago in the heart of Onitsha, Anambra State. What began as a quiet evening homecoming tragically turned into an enduring nightmare for the Nnanyelugo family and their surrounding community.

Reports emerging from the city indicate that the abduction occurred around 8:30 p.m. on July 11, 2024, as Mr. Nnanyelugo returned to his residence at No. 36 Sanniez Street, Odoakpu. He was intercepted and forcibly taken by armed men who blocked his path with a tricycle on Onoja Oboli Street, directly opposite Modebe Secondary School. According to sources close to the family, the assailants fled the scene with both the victim and his vehicle—a gold-colored Lexus RX 300 SUV bearing registration number FGG 963 HC.

The disappearance sparked immediate concern among residents and intensified law enforcement activity in the area. Speaking with journalists over the phone, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochuckwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident and assured the public that a full-scale manhunt was underway. Efforts, he said, were being doubled to track the culprits, rescue the missing man, and recover the stolen SUV.

More than a week after the abduction, Mrs. MaryCynthia Ogechukwu Nnanyelugo, wife of the missing man, took legal steps to document the ordeal. Through an affidavit filed on July 16, 2024, at the Law Chambers of Sir Ben Chudi Izuegbu, a Notary Public, she recounted the devastating event and its lingering effects on the family. According to her sworn statement, the gunmen were heavily armed and operated with apparent precision and intent, leaving behind no trace of her husband or the vehicle.

Details revealed in the affidavit included vital identification numbers for the missing SUV. The engine number was listed as 1MZ*4371507, and the chassis number as MCU10-0052334—information Mrs. Nnanyelugo hopes will assist law enforcement in narrowing their search.

Tragically, the family's suffering has only grown as the weeks turned into months. Describing her husband’s absence as a source of deep misfortune, Mrs. Nnanyelugo expressed that the loss has created an emotional and economic void in their home. She emphasized that her husband’s abduction has disrupted their lives, leaving her and their children in a state of disarray and constant fear.

To corroborate the incident and further alert the public, Mrs. Nnanyelugo obtained a police extract from Fegge Police Division on July 12, 2024—the day after the abduction. In her report, she detailed how the kidnappers had used a tricycle to ambush and seize her husband. The statement served as official acknowledgment by the police that Mr. Nnanyelugo and his vehicle had been forcibly taken and remained unaccounted for.

Further efforts to locate the missing man included a paid spot announcement on Radio Sapientia, for which Mrs. Nnanyelugo presented a receipt dated July 23, 2024, confirming a payment of N35,000. The radio announcement, she said, was intended to reach a broader audience, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might come forward with information.

The abduction has prompted calls from the family and concerned citizens for greater security in Onitsha, especially in densely populated neighborhoods like Odoakpu. Residents describe the area as a bustling hub of commercial and social activity, making it all the more alarming that such a brazen crime could take place near a secondary school without any immediate intervention.

Mrs. Nnanyelugo’s plea to the police and other security agencies is direct and heart-wrenching: find her husband, dead or alive. With each passing day, uncertainty gnaws at the family, and the absence of closure has only intensified their grief.

As the police continue their search, the community remains on edge, praying for Hyginus Arinze Nnanyelugo’s safe return or, at the very least, clarity on his fate. The incident is a painful reminder of the growing insecurity plaguing regions of the country and the urgent need for proactive strategies to prevent further tragedies.