S.P.L. Ketamine Hydrochloride 500mg/10ml, a restricted veterinary sedative, was procured and used in the murder of Emmanuel Nwanneniya, a former chairman and land agent of Ikem Nando Community in Anambra State, police investigation has revealed.

The revelation followed the arrest of five suspects in connection with the murder by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department’s Special Tactical Squad (STS) on the orders of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu.

Investigators said the murder was linked to a long-running dispute over proceeds from the sale of community land.

It was gathered that funds from the sale, including about N39 million paid to one clan, were meant to be shared among the three clans that make up Ikem Nando Community, but a majority decision chose the construction of a community hall and other infrastructure.

However, opposition from a rival faction triggered prolonged hostility and threats against those who backed the plan.

Police said several community leaders who supported the development plan were threatened with kidnapping, and that some suspects were questioned and released before the situation escalated further.

Investigators alleged the hostility eventually culminated in Nwanneniya’s death.

According to the STS, the suspects lured Nwanneniya to a meeting under the pretext of discussing a land sale. On arrival, he was allegedly overpowered at gunpoint, restrained and injected multiple times with the sedative before being forced to surrender access to his phone and banking applications.

Nwanneniya’s wife gave investigators one of the earliest leads in the case. She told police her husband had left home to inspect land with prospective buyers and that she went looking for him after he failed to return and stopped answering calls, eventually finding him unresponsive at the agreed meeting point.

Her statement, combined with digital evidence and intelligence analysis, helped investigators trace the suspects.

At a parade in Abuja, community members described months of threats preceding the killing.

Chief Ejimofor said he had received repeated kidnap threats over his support for the development plan and had reported them to police beforehand, calling the murder a tragedy that has left community members living in fear.

Community Youth Leader, Ikechukwu Onagor, said his brother was killed in circumstances he believed were connected to the same land dispute, urging police to establish whether the cases were linked. Police said that the case was under separate, active investigation, with no conclusions yet reached.

STS Coordinator ACP Victor Ogbeide Godfrey described the operation as another success for intelligence-led policing, commending operatives for their professionalism. He acknowledged support from the Inspector-General’s office. He also raised concerns about the alleged ease of access to the restricted sedative, calling on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other regulators to tighten oversight of controlled substances.

Police said investigations were ongoing, adding that suspects would be charged in court once the findings were complete. (The Nation)

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