Sahara Reporters claims that while Mrs. Uju Ezeobi was being held at Nigeria Police Zonal Headquarters (Zone 13) in Ukpo, Anambra State, she was tortured to death after reporting a land fraud case worth millions of naira to the authorities. Hours after her attorneys petitioned Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun regarding her mistreatment, this unsettling incident occurred.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
The case began in 2021 when Mrs. Nkiruka Duru, who heads the United Business Women Association, allegedly convinced investors to purchase land in Achala. Mrs. Duru approached Ezeobi, asking her to help find buyers for what she claimed were prime plots available at good prices through her organization.
Trusting these representations, Ezeobi connected numerous buyers with Duru’s association. The buyers collectively invested over N200 million for approximately 2,000 plots of land.
However, rather than using these funds to secure the promised properties, Duru allegedly misappropriated the money for personal expenses, including clothing purchases, leaving investors with nothing.
After failed attempts to resolve the matter directly with Duru, Ezeobi reported the case to the Inspector-General of Police. The investigation was assigned to the Deputy Inspector General of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) in Abuja, who filed formal charges against Duru following their inquiry.
While the case had advanced to court, recent developments suggest Duru found ways to interfere with the legal process. Following staff changes within the police force, Duru reportedly used her wealth and connections to have the case transferred to Zone 13 police headquarters in Ukpo, Anambra State, where she allegedly could exert influence over the investigation.
The situation took another turn on March 24, 2025, when Ezeobi was arrested in Asaba by a team led by SP Utazi.
Her lawyers described the arrest as a “commando-style operation” conducted without any prior notification or summons. Ezeobi was transported to Zone 13, where she was detained overnight—a confinement her legal representatives condemned as unlawful.
Adding to the troubling nature of these events, Duru was reportedly allowed to photograph and record videos of Ezeobi during her detention.
These images and recordings were then distributed on social media platforms connected to Duru, publicly humiliating the woman who had come forward as a complainant.
“She is dead, she’s the complainant against a suspect, Mrs Nkiruka Duru, who is facing trial over a multi-million-naira land scam. Duru has finally succeeded in using the instruments of Police to kill Mrs Uju Ezeobi at Zone 13,” a source told Sahara Reporters.
Just before Ezeobi’s death, her attorney, Okolo Ejike, had submitted a detailed petition explaining how officers at Zone 13, particularly SP Utazi, appeared to be working in coordination with Duru instead of conducting an impartial investigation.
The petition pointed out that these actions violated an official directive from the Inspector-General of Police (SIGNAL CB;4001/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.12/48 DTO;211340/11/2024) that prohibits one police unit from assuming control of cases already being handled by another division.
The legal petition requested that SP Utazi and his team return the case file to the DIG FCIID and cease interfering with a matter already in the court system. Tragically, this petition came too late to prevent what is now being reported as Ezeobi’s death by torture.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
