Nnaji Izuchukwu, an Enugu socialite known as Stone, died of gunshot injuries during a police raid on his birthday party at Bull Hotel in Asata, Enugu.[1][2] The party had turned chaotic after a misunderstanding among guests, and the hotel management called in the police Anti-Cultism Section.[1][2]
A raid for a drug peddler
Operatives of the Anti-Cultism Section of the Violent Crime Response Unit raided the hotel for Nworie Chidera Kelvin, known as Akidi, an alleged drug peddler and Vikings Confraternity member who was lodged there with associates.[1][2] The police said Akidi was linked to unlawful firearm possession and cultism cases.[1][2] Officers arrested Akidi and nine other suspects, males and females aged 17 to 28.[1][2] They recovered quantities of dried weeds suspected to be “loud” cannabis, a weighing scale suspected of measuring illicit drugs, and ₦43,400 in cash.[1][2]
During the operation Izuchukwu and another suspect jumped through a window to escape.[1][2] The police said an operative pursuing them was confronted by both men, who allegedly tried to disarm him, and the firearm discharged in the struggle, wounding Izuchukwu while the other man escaped.[1][2] Izuchukwu was rushed to hospital, where doctors confirmed him dead, and his body was deposited in a mortuary for autopsy.[1][2]
The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, ordered an investigation into the death and directed the Assistant Commissioner in charge of the State Intelligence Department to establish whether the operation and the use of firearms followed operational standards and the law.[1][2] He urged the family and the public to stay calm and said any officer found culpable would face disciplinary action.[1][3]