Inside an Ohafia Ordeal: How a former councillor was seized, beaten, forced to pay for his freedom

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By Akpan David, Calabar

On the evening of November 6, 2025, a former Ohafia councillor Hon. Uguru Uduma set out for what he believed would be a routine meeting.

Instead, he walked into a trap that would leave him bruised, degraded, and fighting for his life — and that would later spark a petition now sitting before the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 9 Command.

Uduma, a native of Okagwe Ohafia, alleges in a detailed petition that a group of young men from the neighbouring Amaekpu community abducted him, tortured him for hours, and extorted ₦100,000 from him before releasing him.

What began as a simmering political disagreement over a construction project had spiralled into an ordeal he says still haunts him — and has left his family living under what they describe as constant threats.

A Dispute Over Sand and Respect
The roots of the conflict stretch back to October 28, when Uduma was supervising a road construction project. Tensions flared when the councillor representing Isiama Ward, Eke Daniel Urum, arrived on-site insisting he had contributed tippers for the filling work. Workers, however, had already reached an understanding with the Tipper Union on payment terms.

Witnesses say the arrival of the councillor escalated into an argument not over sand, but over respect. When a union representative allegedly referred to him casually as “one guy,” Urum reportedly took offence, demanding to be addressed as “Honourable.” Shortly afterwards, he accused Uduma of slapping him — a claim that both Uduma and the site engineer later denied while speaking with the Deputy Governor.

The feud, however, did not die down. It was only gathering steam.

On November 6, Uduma received a call from Chidi Igu Uduma, a figure he considered familiar enough to trust. He was asked to come to Skog Lodge to resolve the ongoing misunderstanding.

He waited for hours.
Then the motorcycles arrived.

According to the petition, several young men surrounded Uduma, seized him, and transported him by force to an undisclosed corner of Amaekpu. Waiting there, he claims, were Councillor Urum and a youth leader, Ulu Nkata. He was accused once more of disrespect.

What followed, he says, was a sustained beating — sticks, fists, kicks — accompanied by jeers and allegations that he had insulted the councillor. His humiliation was filmed, and the video soon found its way online, spreading rapidly across community WhatsApp groups.

“No Authority Can Stop Us”
In the petition filed by his lawyer, Anaga Kalu Anaga, Esq., Uduma alleges that his attackers boasted openly that their actions were backed by the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Chief Ikechukwu Emetu.

They allegedly declared that “no authority, including the police,” could intervene.

For hours, Uduma remained at their mercy.

He was eventually thrown into what he described as a “private cell” — a crude detention space used by the group — and told to “bail himself” with ₦100,000.

Desperation, Phone Calls, and Silence
Somewhere in the chaos, Uduma managed to place a call to the one person the youths claimed empowered them: the Deputy Governor.

According to the petition, Emetu allegedly listened but did not intervene. Moments later, Uduma says, the Deputy Governor’s phone went off.

Still trapped, bruised and uncertain whether he would live through the night, Uduma called the traditional ruler of his community, HRH Ezie Odum Amogu, pleading for help. The monarch reportedly attempted to reach the Deputy Governor as well.

The detention, however, continued.
Only after the demanded ₦100,000 ransom was delivered was the former councillor released — battered, shaken, and humiliated.

A Family in Fear
For Uduma’s wife, Mrs. Ezinne Uduma Uguru, the events of that day marked the beginning of a nightmare.

She recounts confronting Councillor Urum the next day, demanding to know why her husband had been treated with such violence. His alleged response chilled her:
as long as the Deputy Governor was his “boss,” she claims he told her, “nothing can happen.”

He reportedly added an Igbo phrase: “usu enweghi ọnụ” — the anus has no mouth.

Since then, she says, the family has received multiple death threats. They now live, she says, in fear of retaliation should the matter advance.

Deputy Governor Denies Any Role
The Office of the Deputy Governor, however, has strongly denied involvement.

In a statement released on November 12, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu dismissed the entire incident as “a local political disagreement” in which he played no part.

He insisted he neither authorised nor condoned violence against Uduma or any other citizen.

A Petition Awaits Action
As of the time of filing this report, the Zone 9 Police Command, Umuahia, had not issued an official response to the petition or announced whether an investigation has begun.

For now, what remains is a community shaken, a former councillor alleging torture and extortion, and a political system struggling with the shadows of impunity that often lurk behind local power structures.

Whether this case becomes a turning point — or just another unresolved story — will depend on what the police do next.