The Congress of Civil Society (CCS) in Anambra State has demanded the immediate release of approximately 150 suspects allegedly held without trial in detention camps operated by the state-backed security outfit, Udo Ga Achi. In a petition to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, CCS Chairman Damian Ogudike gave the government seven days to transfer the detainees to police custody or face legal action for “abuse of human dignity and freedom.”
The petition alleges that Udo Ga Achi—credited with reducing crime but accused of overreach—runs multiple illegal detention sites across Anambra, including in Awka, where some individuals have been incarcerated since January 2025. Ogudike cited viral videos as evidence and stressed that the outfit lacks legal authority to detain suspects, violating both its establishing law and Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
“The security outfit detains people up to five months without handing them to the police. We believe you, as Chief Security Officer, are unaware of these abuses and must intervene,” the petition read, copied to the Commissioner of Police, Director of DSS, and Attorney General. The CCS warned of impending litigation if the state fails to comply, framing the detentions as an urgent human rights crisis.
