On June 30, 2025, at approximately 6:30 PM, gunmen in two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) attacked a community meeting in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State, killing at least 10 people and injuring nine others. The Anambra State Police Command, through Public Relations Officer SP Tochukwu Ikenga, condemned the “indiscriminate shooting” as unprovoked and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. The victims, primarily Ebonyi State indigenes attending a monthly welfare meeting, were rushed to a hospital, where 10 were confirmed dead and their bodies deposited in a morgue. A police-led joint security team, including personnel from the Nigerian Army, Navy, and local vigilantes, has taken control of the scene and is pursuing leads to apprehend the assailants.
The attack, described as “sudden and unprovoked” by survivor Augustine Odom, chairman of the Ebonyi community in Ogboji, targeted a known monthly gathering, with the gunmen accusing attendees of conspiring against them and seizing the meeting’s minutes book. Community leader Chigozie Nweke, President of the Association of Non-Indigenes in Anambra State, reported up to 13 deaths, though police confirmed 10 fatalities. The incident has sparked panic, halting economic activities in Ogboji, and prompted calls for Governor Charles Soludo to investigate both immediate and remote causes, with preliminary findings suggesting a possible internal dispute (web:1,4,6,7,10,12,14post:0,1,4,5). The attack follows a pattern of violence in Anambra, with recent incidents including the June 5 vigilante office attack in Umunze and the May 15 killing of a lawyer and client in Orumba North. The Nigerian government has often attributed such attacks to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), though the group denies involvement.
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