A Civil Engineer and native of Aji, Enugu Ezike in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mr. Egiji Atigwe, has called on Nigerian security agencies, human rights organizations, civil societies, and the media to investigate claims that his community has been turned into a den for the torture of innocent citizens. Atigwe, who is the son of a former Deputy Speaker, disclosed that he has video evidence to support his allegations.
According to Atigwe, his disagreement with a vigilante group that had allegedly been involved in torturing innocent individuals in his community led to their eviction from his family property. He stated that this conflict resulted in attempts by the group to frame him by coercing innocent individuals under duress to implicate him in false crimes.
A video that went viral had claimed that Atigwe was involved in supplying guns to criminals. The video, however, was dismissed by Atigwe as a baseless narrative intended to defame him and his family. Speaking through his legal counsel, Chukwuemeka Abuguja, Atigwe clarified that the allegations were part of a larger plan to discredit his family.
“The local security operatives gathered with torturing equipment and forcefully entered the Atigwe family property at Aji Junction. They began rounding up people randomly, with the intent to torture and possibly kill them,” Abuguja recounted. He further explained that a similar incident occurred in 2019, and Atigwe, upon witnessing the situation, demanded their eviction from the property, which was documented on video.
Shortly after the eviction, suspicious attempts were made to implicate Atigwe. One of the most prominent examples was a viral video showing a young man, Emenike Egbuike, also known as Emzor, tied up and appearing to be under severe distress. In the video, Egbuike allegedly confessed to involvement in a robbery and claimed that Atigwe had supplied him with guns. However, according to Atigwe's counsel, Egbuike later revealed that he had been tortured into making the confession.
“He was tortured from 6 p.m. until 4 a.m. the next morning,” Abuguja revealed. “He was beaten with logs of wood, not canes, and forced to either implicate my client or face death. They even made a bonfire and threatened to throw him in if he did not comply.”
The lawyer insisted that the entire plot was designed to tarnish the reputation of the Atigwe family. He also highlighted another incident involving Kosi Eya, who was similarly arrested and pressured to corroborate the false accusations but refused, as the arrest occurred in a public space.
Abuguja emphasized that, despite multiple arrests, no incriminating evidence had been recovered, and no formal complaints had been filed regarding kidnapping or armed robbery. He categorically denied any attempts by the Atigwe family to interfere with the investigation, noting that the suspects had been transferred to the anti-kidnapping unit, and neither he nor the family had made any efforts to pervert justice.
Sylvester Ayogu, President General of Aji Autonomous Community, confirmed in a telephone interview that the vigilante group had indeed been evicted from the Atigwe family’s property. Meanwhile, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, did not respond to inquiries on the matter.
