While some reports said that 13 people were killed in the attack on Sunday, the police said that 10 people were killed and nine injured.

The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of one suspect in connection with the killing of no fewer than 10 individuals from Ebonyi State in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

While some reports said that 13 people were killed in the attack on Sunday, the police said that 10 people were killed and nine injured.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, led a joint security operation involving the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other sister agencies to the crime scene.

“The Commissioner of Police CP Ikioye Orutugu, today 2nd July 2025, led a Joint Security Team comprising the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other sister agencies to the scene where 10 (ten) people were murdered in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area,” Ikenga stated.

Ikenga confirmed the arrest of the male suspect identified as Sunday Mbanu, who, according to him, is “currently assisting the Police in their investigation.”

The police stressed that the incident was not a targeted attack on any group based on ethnicity or origin, “but a cowardly action of the common enemies of the State”.

He stated that during the police visit, the CP held a meeting with stakeholders in the community, including the Traditional Prime Minister, the President General of the Ogboji Community, and the son of the landlord at the premises where the killings took place.

The police spokesperson revealed that, based on the interaction during the visit, the attack was linked to internal disputes among members of the Ebonyi State community in the area.

“There is a leadership squabble in the Association of Ebonyi State indigenes in the area,” the police spokesperson said.

He explained that the meeting where the massacre occurred was organised by a faction of the Ebonyi indigenes’ association.

“The meeting that recorded the incident is the factional leadership of Ebonyi indigenes living in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State,” he noted.

Ikenga further revealed that the association had previously submitted a petition to the President General of Ogboji without involving security agencies.

“It was alleged that the Association had earlier complained and written a petition to the President General of Ogboji without recourse to the security agencies,” he said.

“Meanwhile, as the PG was trying to use an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) strategy to resolve the issue, it escalated to a record of the unfortunate incident.”

According to him, the landlord’s son confirmed that one of the deceased was a tenant in their compound and provided additional information that investigators are currently pursuing.

“Given the above, the Joint Security Team while condoling with the people of Ebonyi State, especially the family and friends of the deceased, wish the injured a quick recovery,’ Ikenga stated.

The Command restated its commitment to making sure that the perpetrators of the heinous crime are brought to justice.