Gunmen Strike Lilu Again, allegedly Kill Resident, Abduct Palace Chief
Barely three weeks after unidentified gunmen attacked Lilu community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, burning down an Anglican church, the resident priest’s home, killing at least four indigenes, and abducting several others, the assailants have once again struck the community, unleashing renewed violence and leaving residents in deep anguish.
According to a report by Independent Newspaper on 30th of December 2025, the gunmen reportedly returned to Lilu under the guise of a “Christmas visit.” During the attack, they brutally killed a community member, Chineze Nwaka, hacking him to death with an axe, and abducted a palace chief, Oliver Umeaku, alongside several other residents whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Speaking to journalists during a tour of the affected homes and sites of destruction, the community’s spokesman, who identified himself simply as Emeka for security reasons, lamented the worsening security situation and the apparent neglect of the community by the state government.
Emeka described the killing of Chineze Nwaka as particularly harrowing, alleging that the attackers dismembered his body in the presence of his elderly parents before fleeing the scene.
“We are anguished and helpless,” he said, expressing frustration over what he described as the Anambra State Government’s seeming indifference, despite repeated appeals for intervention following the pre-Christmas attack.
According to him, after the initial assault, residents of Lilu community marched to the Anambra State Government House in Awka, popularly known as the Light House, to protest what they described as over five years of abandonment to violent criminals.
“We went to ask whether Lilu is still part of Anambra State or whether we have been ceded to neighbouring Imo State,” he stated.
Emeka said the protesters were received by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Solo Chukwulobelu, who listened to their grievances, collected their placards, and assured them that their concerns would be conveyed to Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo.
During the tour, Emeka showed journalists the ruins of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, the destroyed parsonage, and burnt vehicles belonging to the parish priest, Reverend Canon Gabriel Obiesie. He said the cleric’s wife and children were brutally killed and set ablaze during the initial attack, while the priest himself narrowly escaped death after sustaining severe machete cuts and gunshot wounds. He is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
Journalists were also taken to the remains of the burnt palace of the town’s traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Igwe Godson Onyediri, a legal practitioner.
Emeka expressed doubts over whether the SSG actually briefed the governor on the community’s plight as promised, questioning whether the governor was even aware of Lilu’s location within Anambra State.
He added that the community is now open to receiving help from any individual or organization willing to assist them in restoring peace and security.
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