Atlantic Post | September 14, 2026
A police inspector on guard duty at the residence of Imo State Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Investment, Chief Barr Rex Anunobi, has been murdered in New Owerri, with his service rifle and mobile phone reportedly taken from the scene.
The officer, identified as Inspector Henry Effiong of the Imo State Police Command, was found dead inside his room at the commissioner’s residence at No. 1 Sokom Villa, Area E, New Owerri, on Monday, September 14, according to a police situation report obtained by SaharaReporters.
The killing has triggered an investigation by the command, with attention now focused on how assailants gained access to a guarded residence, why the officer was targeted and where the stolen police firearm has gone.
The case also raises an immediate public-safety concern: a firearm taken from a serving police officer is not simply missing police property. It can become a weapon in another violent crime if it is not recovered quickly.
Inspector found tied inside guard room
The initial account of the incident suggests that the attack may have happened before daybreak.
According to the police situation report, Anunobi was alerted at about 7 a.m. by his housekeeper, identified as Solomon Uzobu, who reportedly informed him that the police inspector deployed to the residence for guard duty had been murdered.
The commissioner reportedly contacted the police at about 8 a.m., after which officers from the New Owerri Police Division were mobilised to the residence.
Investigators reportedly found Effiong dead inside his room, with his legs tied and his body positioned towards the bathing area. A sharp object, suspected by investigators to be a machete, was allegedly used in the killing.
The circumstances raise questions that the investigation will have to answer.
Who entered the premises?
How did the attackers get close enough to overpower a serving police officer?
Was the inspector attacked while asleep, or was there a confrontation?
How long were the assailants inside the compound?
And why was the officer’s firearm taken?
Those questions matter because the incident occurred at the residence of a serving state commissioner, rather than at an unguarded private location.
Missing security guard becomes key investigative lead
The police report has also drawn attention to a private security guard identified as Genesis, reportedly a native of Taraba State.
According to the report, investigators suspect that the guard may have helped the assailants gain access to the residence. He reportedly disappeared after the incident, allegedly packing his belongings, switching off his mobile phone and leaving the area.
That information is an investigative lead, not proof of guilt.
At this stage, the disappearance of the guard should be treated as a circumstance requiring scrutiny rather than evidence that he participated in the murder.
Investigators will need to establish his whereabouts before, during and after the attack, examine communications records and reconstruct movements around the residence.
They will also need to establish whether the compound showed signs of forced entry or whether access was obtained through someone who was already inside.
Empty magazine recovered as rifle remains missing
One of the most important pieces of information in the preliminary account is the recovery of an empty magazine and a walkie-talkie from the scene.
The items were reportedly handed to the Area Commander, Operations, for further investigation.
The police report says Effiong’s assigned service rifle was taken by the assailants. His mobile phone was also reportedly stolen.
The missing rifle represents a potentially wider security threat.
Nigeria has previously seen cases in which firearms taken from police personnel or police formations later resurfaced during criminal attacks. In August 2026, for example, the Nigeria Police Force said an AK-47 recovered from suspects in Imo had earlier been snatched from Agwa Police Station during a 2022 attack.
There is also a longer history of stolen police firearms being used in subsequent violent crimes. In 2017, police confirmed that an AK-47 previously snatched from a policeman in Imo was used during a bank robbery in Owerri.
That history makes recovery of Effiong’s weapon a priority beyond the investigation into his death.
The question is no longer simply who killed the inspector. It is also whether the stolen firearm has already been transferred to another criminal network.
Murder comes amid heightened security pressure in Imo
The killing comes at a sensitive time for the Imo State Police Command.
Only three days before Effiong’s death, the command presented cheques worth ₦26.43 million to the families of 52 officers who had died in active service. The presentation was made by Commissioner of Police Audu Garba Bosso on behalf of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu under the Group Life Assurance and Group Personnel Accident Scheme.
The timing is stark.
The command was publicly honouring officers killed in service on September 11. On September 14, another police officer was reportedly killed while performing a security assignment.
The wider security environment has also remained demanding.
In August, the Nigeria Police Force announced that its operatives had arrested suspected terrorist collaborators in Imo and recovered two rifles, one of which had allegedly been snatched from Agwa Police Station during the 2022 attack.
The command has also recently intensified security activity around Owerri and other parts of the state. Police operations have included anti-kidnapping activity, forest-clearance operations and increased security engagement with communities and institutions.
On September 4, Bosso reportedly met heads of major security agencies in the state to assess threats and coordinate preparations for the traditionally challenging “ember months”.
The murder of a police officer at a high-profile residence therefore comes at a time when authorities are already warning about the need for stronger intelligence-sharing and security coordination.
The unanswered questions
The investigation will need to establish more than the identity of suspects.
It will need to determine whether there was surveillance of the commissioner’s residence before the attack, whether the attackers knew the inspector’s duty schedule and whether the stolen rifle was the principal objective or an opportunity created after the killing.
The condition of the room, fingerprints and other forensic evidence, phone records, CCTV footage if available, access logs and statements from household staff could help establish a timeline.
The whereabouts of the missing security guard will also be central.
So too will be the chain of custody for the recovered magazine and walkie-talkie.
Most importantly, investigators will need to establish whether ammunition was removed with the weapon and whether any ballistic evidence connects the missing firearm to subsequent incidents.
Those details could determine whether the murder was an isolated attack or part of a wider criminal operation.
Police under pressure to recover the weapon
The Imo State Police Command has reportedly said efforts are continuing to identify and arrest the suspected killers, locate the missing security guard and recover the stolen firearm.
The deceased officer’s remains were reportedly evacuated to the Federal Teaching Hospital for preservation and further procedures.
As of publication, the detailed account available publicly is based on the police situation report obtained by SaharaReporters. Atlantic Post has not located a separate public statement from the Imo State Police Command confirming every detail of the report.
That distinction matters.
The allegation involving the missing security guard, in particular, should not be treated as an established fact until investigators produce evidence.
What is already clear is that a serving police inspector has lost his life while on a security assignment, and a police firearm is missing.
The command now faces a dual test: identifying those responsible for the killing and ensuring that the stolen weapon does not become another instrument of violence.
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