Residents of Egwedu Autonomous Community in Atta, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, are living under a reign of terror allegedly unleashed by a self-acclaimed vigilante leader, Chibuike Duru, popularly known as Nwagbenta.
He is accused of operating an illegal detention centre, extorting market women, and killing at least two young men in recent months.
Bellnews gathered that Duru and members of his armed gang allegedly run a private detention facility at his residence, complete with what victims and residents describe as human cages, where people are locked up for weeks or months over a wide range of accusations.
Community members explained that Nwagbenta currently operates what amounts to a criminal enterprise under the guise of community security, with allegations ranging from murder, torture and illegal detention to extortion and unlawful possession of firearms.
According to multiple residents, the vigilante leader moves freely around the community and neighbouring areas with assault rifles, including AK-47s, while enforcing his own version of justice in the near-total absence of formal police presence.
Findings by Network on Human Rights indicate that Nwagbenta’s background is as controversial as his current operations. He was reportedly a former commander of a pro-Biafra separatist armed group before becoming a fugitive.
Sources said he later returned to Egwedu community after allegedly striking a deal with Ebubeagu, a government-backed militia, to join the local vigilante structure and help target suspected separatist sympathisers.
Residents allege that this arrangement effectively handed him unchecked power.
In the vacuum created by the lack of consistent police patrols or a functional police station, Nwagbenta is said to have established a parallel justice system where he acts as judge, jury and executioner.
A resident said he decides who is guilty, how long victims will be detained, how much victims must pay, and in some cases, whether victims live or die.
NOHR illustrates the extent of Nwagbenta’s alleged impunity.
According to NOHR, a businessman from the community, Amaechi Duru, installed solar-powered street lights worth about N150,000 each around his compound and along the adjoining street last year.
The gesture reportedly brought relief and excitement to residents who had endured years of darkness.
However, the lights allegedly angered Nwagbenta, whose house is located nearby. Residents said he accused the businessman of installing the lights to monitor his activities.
Witnesses explained that Nwagbenta and his gang dismantled about 15 of the street lights and took them to his residence. When the President-General of the community reportedly intervened and demanded their return, Nwagbenta allegedly refused.
Nwagbenta said the lights were meant to spy on him and warned that anyone who insisted on retrieving them would pay with their life.
NOHR further reports that Nwagbenta’s daily operations extend to Afor Atta Market, where he and his men allegedly extort money from market women “with damning brutality.”
Women who fail or refuse to pay the imposed levies are reportedly flogged or have their goods seized, regardless of their economic condition.
Market traders stated that the extortion is carried out openly and routinely, with no intervention from security agencies.
One trader said he just comes with guns, collects money and beats people. While nobody dares to challenge him.
Perhaps the most disturbing allegations centre on what residents have dubbed the House of Death — Nwagbenta’s residence, where he allegedly maintains a cage for detaining perceived enemies and accused persons.
Residents said bail fees range from N300,000 to N1million, while families are charged N5,000 each time they bring food to detainees.
According to multiple testimonies, Nwagbenta holds a court sessions in his house almost daily, handling everything from land disputes and domestic disagreements to allegations of theft and disloyalty.
His decisions, they said, are final unless one is prepared to face violent consequences.
Victims and former detainees allege that torture methods include severe beatings, prolonged sleep deprivation and mock executions meant to instil fear and force confessions.
The community has been particularly shaken by the alleged killing of two young men in recent months.
One of the victims, Ifeanyi Nnadiemere, a 25-year-old school leaver, was allegedly arrested by Nwagbenta and his gang on January 27, 2026, over accusations that he transferred money from his mother’s bank account without her consent
Residents said he was taken to Nwagbenta’s residence, where he was allegedly subjected to severe torture. He reportedly died in custody, after which his family was invited to collect his body for burial.
Earlier, on November 30, 2025, another resident, Chiedozie Awalie, a 37-year-old from Ubaokoro, Atta, was allegedly arrested in broad daylight in front of his father’s compound.
Witnesses said Nwagbenta later killed Awalie and set his corpse on fire. The victim’s father was identified as Mr. Tobias Awalie.
The case of Chinonso Moses Ejiofor further highlights the scale of the alleged abuses.
Chinonso was detained in the cage at Nwagbenta’s residence for about ten days, from January 17 to January 26, 2026.
During his detention, his mother was allegedly forced to pay N5,000 each time she brought him food, while a total bail of N300,000 was demanded for his release.
Chinonso was eventually freed after the intervention of a human rights lawyer. However, he was allegedly warned never to speak about his ordeal.
Nwagbenta told him that if the matter was escalated, his mother would surely lose her son.
Chinonso reportedly disclosed that at least eight other people were being held in the cage at the time of his detention.
Residents also recounted bizarre cases of detention, including that of a man who allegedly reported to the vigilante group that his wife was denying him sex. He was reportedly detained for over one month.
Following mounting complaints, a human rights activist and lawyer has formally petitioned security and rights bodies, demanding immediate intervention.
In a petition signed by Chubby Ikechukwu Obianyo, Esq., of J.U. Ijeoma & Associates, the lawyer called for the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of Chibuike Duru, also known as Nwagbenta, and members of his gang.
“The matter for which we write must be nipped in the bud before another gang of vicious terrorists that has emerged in Imo State would take firm roots and become a harder nut to crack,” the petition warned.
The lawyers stated that Egwedu community has been “enveloped with fear” for more than a year, with residents living under a parallel system of justice enforced by armed men.
The petition, which was copied to the National Human Rights Commission, described the situation as one marked by “despicable impunity,” adding that acts commonly associated with horror movies are allegedly playing out in the community in real life.
“The accused operates in utter disregard for the sanctity of human life,” the lawyers wrote, stressing that law enforcement appears absent while fundamental rights are being routinely violated.
The petition concluded with an urgent appeal to authorities: “We must not allow people to carry on as if there are no laws regulating the conduct of men in our society.”
As of the time of filing this report, residents say fear remains pervasive in Egwedu community, with many calling on the Imo State Government, the Nigeria Police Force and relevant federal authorities to act swiftly before more lives are lost.