Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called for an urgent, independent, and transparent investigation into the disappearance of Ekenne Valentine, an operative of the Anambra State Vigilante Group (AVG) who has remained missing since August 2024, describing the prolonged silence surrounding the case as a serious failure of accountability. Valentine, who served with the Ukpor Unit of the Anambra State Vigilante Group for about three years, was last heard from on 9 August 2024, while participating in an official security operation. A few days later, members of the vigilante group reportedly informed his father that Valentine had failed to return from the operation, although other members of the team returned safely.
Despite repeated efforts by his father, Chief Benjamin Nwosuagwu, to obtain answers from the leadership of the Anambra State Vigilante Group, the Anambra State Police Command, and the National Human Rights Commission, no conclusive account has been given regarding what happened to the vigilante operative. In search of answers, Nwosuagwu reportedly made several trips from Imo State to Anambra State, visiting the offices of the vigilante group in Onitsha, Awka, and Ukpor. Although officials confirmed that his son was a registered member of the organisation, they allegedly failed to explain how he disappeared or what became of him during the operation.
Speaking with SaharaReporters in January 2025, Nwosuagwu said his son had been working with the AVG for three years, and that the last time he spoke with him was on 9 August 2024. He said on 16 August 2024, he could no longer reach his son. A colleague, Chidera, who had introduced his son to the AVG, told him that the commandant in charge of AVG, Ukpo, had sent Ekene and some team members for an operation. "Others came back successfully, but my son didn't come with them," Nwosuagwu recounted.
The distraught father travelled to Anambra State and met the General Commandant in charge of AVG, Chief Ihenko Chinenye, popularly known as Okpompi, who told him that he had been informed that his son went with some team members on an errand. "He didn't say anything meaningful aside from that. He later told me that he didn't know the whereabouts of my son, whether dead or alive," Nwosuagwu said. On 20 September 2024, he petitioned the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, but the two commandants allegedly never honoured the Deputy Commissioner of Police's invitation to appear for questioning.
In a statement issued on Saturday, 4 July 2026, the Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the disappearance of a security operative during an official assignment imposed a duty on the authorities to establish the facts and keep the family informed. "No family should be left to endure years of uncertainty over the disappearance of a loved one without answers from those who had responsibility for his deployment and safety," Nwanguma said. "The disappearance of a person during an official security operation imposes a clear duty on the relevant authorities to establish the facts, account for the missing person, and keep the family informed. The prolonged failure to establish the whereabouts of Ekenne Valentine raises serious concerns about operational accountability, command responsibility and the effectiveness of the investigation conducted so far. Every day that passes without meaningful progress deepens the suffering of the family and weakens public confidence in our security institutions."
RULAAC disclosed that it has submitted formal petitions to the Inspector-General of Police and the Governor of Anambra State, urging them to ensure an independent, professional, and transparent investigation into the disappearance. The organisation called for the transfer of the investigation to, or close supervision by, the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) or another competent investigative unit. It also demanded the production and examination of all records relating to the operation during which Valentine disappeared, including deployment orders, operational briefings, after-action reports, and any other documentation that could shed light on the circumstances of his disappearance.
When contacted by SaharaReporters in January 2025, the AVG General Commandant, Okpompi, confirmed that Valentine went missing during their operation, during which he said another vigilante member was killed. However, Okpompi blamed Nwosuagwu over his approach to the matter, saying that the father only sent an emissary to his office instead of coming personally. He said members of the vigilante group who went for the operation with Valentine narrowly escaped, and that they were not sure if Valentine was killed or captured alive by gunmen, or if he decided to join them.
The disappearance of Ekenne Valentine is the latest in a series of incidents raising concerns about the accountability and conduct of state-backed security outfits in Anambra State. RULAAC has previously raised alarm over the misuse of the Anambra State Vigilante Group in civil disputes and the unlawful detention of residents. The organisation has also called for an end to unlawful detentions and the prosecution of vigilante operatives found guilty of human rights abuses. As the nearly two-year mark since Valentine's disappearance approaches, his family continues to wait for answers, hoping that the independent probe demanded by RULAAC will finally shed light on the fate of a son, a brother, and a father who vanished without a trace while serving his community.
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