Gunmen shoot lawyer, client after court session in Anambra

Tension gripped residents around Agulu and Nanka communities in the Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, when some yet-to-be-identified assailants shot dead a lawyer and his client after a court session in the area.

According to eyewitnesses in the area, the attackers carried out the brutal killings without facing any opposition.

Although the circumstances surrounding the gruesome murder remain unclear, it was gathered that the lawyer was in court with his client in the morning but was killed moments later after they were trailed from the court after the court session.

One of the sources in the area said, “The case the lawyer was handling for the client was a very big case. The incident happened at a boundary between Nanka and Agulu, along the popular Amawbia-Agulu-Nanka-Ekwulobia-Uga-Akokwa road in the early hours of Thursday.

“The assassins first shot and killed the lawyer before shooting his client who came out of the car and was running for safety. The assassins immediately left the scene of the incident.”

When contacted on the development, the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the development, adding that the police have launched a full investigation into the matter.

Ikenga added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, had visited the scene of the incident alongside a team of senior officers, adding that preliminary investigations suggested that the victims were attacked while returning from the court session, having been trailed and double-crossed by the assailants.

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He said, “The CP on Thursday, May 15,2025, at about 11:30am, led a team of senior officers—including the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations and experienced detectives from the Command—on a visit to the crime scene at Egbebelu village, Nanka, Orumba North Local Government Area, where two persons were gruesomely murdered by yet-to-be-identified armed men operating on a motorcycle.

“The visit follows a reported incident involving the murder of two individuals, one of whom has been identified as a legal practitioner who had earlier secured the bail of an accused person in a pending murder case at High Court II, Ekwulobia.

“Preliminary investigations suggest that the victims were attacked while returning from the court session, having been trailed and double-crossed by the assailants.

“One of the victims survived the attack and is currently receiving medical treatment at a hospital. The escapee has been debriefed by the Police and has provided crucial information that is aiding ongoing investigations and manhunt operations.

“The bodies of the deceased have been recovered and positively identified by their respective families. In the course of the preliminary investigations, a red Toyota Camry vehicle, believed to belong to one of the deceased, was recovered from the scene.”

According to him, the commissioner of police has ordered an intensive investigation into the incident and deployed tactical and intelligence teams to track down the perpetrators and ensure justice is served.

“Further updates will be provided in due course as the investigation progresses,” he added.