ONITSHA, ANAMBRA — Some traders at the popular Onitsha market in Anambra State have appealed to the newly deployed Commissioner of Police in the state to investigate alleged illegal raids on their shops by a team of policemen attached to an Area Command in the commercial city.
The traders alleged that four police officers have been breaking into shops during the late hours of the night and taking away traders’ goods without presenting search warrants, court orders or any other official documents authorising the operations.
According to the traders, the policemen allegedly transport the seized goods to their station and subsequently demand large sums of money from the affected traders before releasing them.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, Nnanunyelugo Elias alleged that the raids usually take place around 10 p.m., when most traders and their assistants have left the market.
He claimed that the officers wait until the shops are closed before allegedly using heavy instruments and metal rods to force their way into the targeted premises.
Elias said the latest incident occurred on August 9, 2026, at Shop 52 in the building materials section of the market, where a medicine store was allegedly broken into and drugs valued at more than N50 million were reportedly taken away.
He alleged that five officers identified as Inspector Anthony, Inspector Elijah, Sergeant Daniel, Sergeant Ebo and Assistant Superintendent of Police Sebastine were involved in the operation.
According to him, the officers allegedly loaded the drugs into a police pickup van and took them to the Area Command, where the operation was said to have been carried out under the supervision of an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
Elias further alleged that the officers did not present any search warrant, court order or other official documentation during the operation.
He said the owner of the medicine store went to the police command early the following morning to inquire about his goods but was allegedly told that they had been transferred to a government ministry responsible for the seizure of such goods.
However, he claimed that the owner was not informed of the alleged offence committed, the name of the ministry, the person to contact or the location where the seized goods had supposedly been taken.
Elias further alleged that a policeman at the station later told the trader privately that the drugs had already been sold and advised him to leave the station to avoid being detained.
“The helpless owner of the store who lost a whopping N50 million had to disappear from the station to lick his wound. This is not the first time they have been embarking on this illegal raid. Many of us had experienced it but we are afraid of raising the alarm because we have nobody to help us,” he said.
The traders appealed to the new Commissioner of Police to investigate the allegations and identify all officers allegedly involved in the operations.
They also called for disciplinary action against any officer found culpable, warning that alleged misconduct by individual policemen could undermine public confidence in the police and damage the reputation of the command.
The traders further alleged that two of the officers named in connection with the shop raid were also involved in the recent shooting incident at Onitsha Head Bridge, claiming that their superiors had been shielding them.
They urged the police authorities to investigate both the officers and their alleged supervisors, stressing that Onitsha, as a major commercial centre in southeastern Nigeria, requires a professional and accountable security system.
“Onitsha is a very volatile city as a commercial nerve centre in the eastern part of the country and if such officers are allowed to continue holding sway, they will bring more bad name to the Police,” the traders said.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer were unsuccessful, as calls placed to his telephone number did not go through as of the time of filing this report.
The allegations could not be independently verified at the time of filing.
