Enugu youths protest alleged police killing of socialite ‘Stone’

Enugu State Police Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe. Photo: File

Tension gripped Enugu, the state capital, on Thursday as hundreds of youths protested the alleged extrajudicial killing of a popular socialite, Izuchukwu Nnaji, popularly known as ‘Stone’, by operatives of the state Police Command’s Anti-Cult Tactical Squad.

Nnaji was reportedly arrested around 3am on Wednesday at The Bull Hotel in Enugu, where he had lodged after celebrating his birthday with friends on Tuesday night.

His lifeless body was reportedly discovered at the morgue of the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane, on Thursday.

The discovery sparked outrage, with hundreds of youths taking to the streets and marching towards the Enugu State Government House to demand justice.

Carrying placards with various inscriptions, the protesters called for the arrest of the officers allegedly involved in the incident and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Nnaji’s death.

Speaking to journalists, the deceased’s elder brother, Ogochukwu Nnaji, alleged that his brother was unlawfully arrested and killed without justification.

He said, “My brother celebrated his birthday on Tuesday and thereafter lodged at The Bull Hotel.

Operatives of the police anti-cult squad invaded his hotel room around 3am on Wednesday and whisked him away.

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“When we could not find him, we went to the hotel, where the management confirmed that operatives of the anti-cult unit came in the night and took him away. We later traced his body to the ESUT Parklane Hospital morgue today (Thursday).

“My brother was extrajudicially killed. He was neither a cultist nor an armed robber; he was a well-known celebrity. We are demanding justice.”

The incident comes about 18 months after the fatal shooting of popular Ogene musician Okezie Chikezie Mba, popularly known as ‘Igbo Jah’, by an operative attached to the same tactical squad sparked outrage in the state.

In October 2024, Inspector Ozonwanji Joseph was accused of fatally shooting the musician, an incident that drew widespread condemnation.

When contacted for comments on the latest incident, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Enugu State Command, SP Daniel Ndukwe, did not respond to phone calls or text messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.