The arraignment followed sustained public outcry and investigations triggered by reports published by SaharaReporters, which detailed coordinated attacks on Mburubu community by hoodlums allegedly linked to the commissioner.
The Enugu State Police Command has arraigned suspected hoodlums allegedly linked to the Enugu State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Engr. Lawrence Ezeh, over a series of violent attacks and acts of vandalism in Mburubu community, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The arraignment followed sustained public outcry and investigations triggered by reports published by SaharaReporters, which detailed coordinated attacks on Mburubu community by hoodlums allegedly linked to the commissioner.
The reports accused the hoodlums of unleashing violence on residents, destroying public and private property, and vandalising electricity infrastructure within the community.
Following the publication, journalists and independent observers embarked on a fact-finding mission to Mburubu, where victims of the attacks were interviewed.
Residents had narrated how armed hoodlums allegedly invaded the community, instilling fear and panic, while deliberately targeting electricity facilities, including transformer cables and electric wires, leaving large sections of the community in darkness.
According to residents, the destruction of these facilities further crippled economic activities and worsened the humanitarian situation, especially for small business owners, students, and vulnerable households.
Police investigations into the incidents led to the arrest of suspects accused of participating in the vandalism of electric and transformer wires during the attacks. The suspects were subsequently charged and arraigned by the Nigeria Police Force, Enugu State Command.
The case came up before the Magistrate Court sitting in Enugu, specifically at the Chukwuani Magistrate Court, presided over by His Worship, Magistrate Chukwuani. The court session took place on Friday, 19 December 2025.
During the proceedings, the presiding Magistrate questioned one of the suspects, Chigbo Nworji Nwafor, on who was responsible for cutting the electric wires in Mburubu community. In his response before the court, Nwafor stated that he acted on the instruction of the community’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Augustin Edeh, popularly known as Akpaka.
The suspect told the court that Akpaka allegedly sent him to vandalise the electric and transformer wires during the attack on the community.
When Augustin Edeh was asked to respond to the allegation, he declined to speak, stating that his lawyer would address the court on his behalf. His legal counsel, Barrister Ikeozor, however, did not provide a detailed response to the allegation.
Instead, he informed the court that the Enugu State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Engr. Lawrence Ezeh, was interested in the matter and urged the court to dismiss the case and discharge the suspects.
The defence’s submission sparked reactions among observers in court, as it did not directly deny the allegations of vandalism of public infrastructure or address the suspect’s claim linking the actions to instructions from community security leadership.
After listening to the submissions, the court refused the application for dismissal. In a ruling delivered from the bench, the Magistrate ordered that the suspects be remanded at the Enugu State Correctional Centre pending the next adjourned date.
The case was adjourned to a later date for further hearing.
The development has further intensified public attention on the lingering crisis in Mburubu community, which has been at the centre of repeated allegations of violence, intimidation, and political interference.
Community members who followed the proceedings described the court’s decision to remand the suspects as a step toward accountability, while calling on security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation and ensure that justice is not compromised.