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The Nsukka Area Police Command in Enugu State has detained community activist Ezema Kelechi Henry, popularly known as “Kelwizzy,” after he repeatedly drew public attention to the poor condition of roads across Nsukka Local Government Area.

Henry’s detention has sparked concerns among residents and civil society advocates, particularly following allegations that he was assaulted by suspected state-backed thugs before being taken to the police station.

A lawyer, Malachy Odo, disclosed the development on Friday, alleging that Henry was beaten severely before his detention at the Nsukka Police Command.

According to Odo, Henry had been using his social media platforms to highlight the deplorable condition of roads within the local government area and call on authorities to intervene.

“Kelwizzy, a guy on Facebook who has been highlighting the very bad state of roads within Nsukka LGA, was beaten to a state of stupor by state-backed thugs yesterday before being detained at the Nsukka Police Command,” Odo said.

He described the incident as a troubling development, questioning the state of democracy and freedom of expression in Nigeria.

Henry had continued to document the condition of roads in Nsukka in the days leading up to his detention.

On August 4, he shared a video showing the condition of Ikpa Market Road, where large portions of the road were covered in muddy and stagnant water.

In the video, Henry said the road regularly became flooded, while the absence of adequate drainage prevented water from flowing away.

He also pointed out the difficulties faced by residents, particularly young people, who he said sometimes had to wade through the flooded portions of the road to move around the area.

Henry subsequently appealed to the Nsukka Local Government Chairman, Jude Chinedu Asogwa, and Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, to urgently intervene and rehabilitate the road.

In another recent video, Henry showed the condition of Orba Road around Mbuke Lane, drawing attention to another section that had become flooded and difficult for motorists, pedestrians and other road users to navigate.

His social media activities have focused largely on exposing infrastructure challenges and drawing the attention of government officials to problems affecting residents of Nsukka.

The police have yet to publicly explain why Henry was detained or respond to the allegation that he was assaulted before his detention.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at the Nsukka Urban Police Division, when contacted by FIJ on Friday, reportedly declined to comment on the matter over the phone.

The DPO initially asked the reporter to visit his office in Enugu. When informed that the reporter was not in Enugu and preferred to communicate through WhatsApp, the officer agreed to speak by phone.

However, he had not responded as of the time of publication.

A further reminder was sent to him on Saturday, but no response had been received at press time.

FIJ also contacted the spokesperson for the Enugu State Police Command, SP Daniel Ndukwe, on Friday and Saturday.

Ndukwe reportedly did not answer the calls or respond to text messages sent to him regarding Henry’s detention and the allegations of assault.

The Enugu State Police Command had still not issued an official statement on the matter as of Saturday evening.

The controversy comes amid questions about government funding available to Nsukka Local Government Area.

Data from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), according to a check by FIJ, showed that Nsukka LGA received at least N2 billion in allocations between January and March 2026.

The local government reportedly received N750 million in January, N725 million in February and N637 million in March.

The figures amount to approximately N2.1 billion in FAAC allocations within the three-month period.

The same data reportedly showed that Nsukka Local Government Area received about N7.9 billion in FAAC allocations throughout 2025.

The figures have further intensified questions about the state of infrastructure in the area and how public funds allocated to the local government are being utilised.

For residents who regularly use the affected roads, the poor conditions have reportedly created difficulties for transportation and movement, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.

As of Saturday evening, there was no official statement from the Enugu State Police Command addressing Henry’s reported detention or the allegations surrounding his treatment.

The circumstances leading to his detention, the reason for the police action and whether any charges have been filed against him remain unclear.

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The Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced four persons to prison for their roles in a money laundering scheme involving more than $5.2 million.

Trial judge Friday Ogazi delivered the judgement on Wednesday after the four defendants pleaded guilty to charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFFC’s spokesperson Dele Oyewale named the convicts in a press statement on Friday as Bamidele Emmanuel, Abdullah Yusuf, Funmilayo Garuba and Gbenro Ademola.

They were separately arraigned on two counts of money laundering under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

According to the EFCC, investigations showed that the four sold their personal information to one Afeez Animashaun, who allegedly approached them at Mushin Market in Lagos, where they carried out their businesses.

The anti-graft agency explained that the personal details were subsequently used to register four companies—College Compass Eduguide Nigeria Limited, Hortifresh Solutions Nigeria Limited, Eduboost Innovation Nigeria Limited and Fixit Hardware and Tools Nigeria Limited.

The EFCC alleged that corporate bank accounts opened in the names of the companies received a total of $5,296,691 in January 2025.

The prosecution comes amid sustained efforts by the EFCC to curb the use of shell companies and proxy bank accounts to launder illicit funds.

In recent years, the commission has repeatedly warned Nigerians against selling or surrendering their personal information for company registration or banking purposes, saying criminal syndicates often exploit such details to facilitate financial crimes, exposing their owners to prosecution.

One of the charges against Mr Emmanuel accused him of retaining $826,691 in a Wema Bank account between 1 and 31 January 2025, funds prosecutors said he reasonably ought to have known were proceeds of unlawful activities.

All four defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.

During the proceedings, the prosecution lawyer, Bilkisu Buhari, reviewed the facts of the cases and urged the court to convict the defendants and impose appropriate sanctions.

In his judgement, Mr Ogazi convicted all four defendants on the second count of the charges.

Mr Emmanuel was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, followed by three months of community service. He was also ordered to forfeit N1 million to the Federal Government.

Ms Garuba received four months’ imprisonment and 15 months of community service. The court also ordered her to forfeit N1 million to the Federal Government within 72 hours.

Mr Yusuf was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, three months of community service and ordered to forfeit N800,000.

Mr Ademola was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, three months of community service and directed to forfeit N700,000 to the Federal Government within 72 hours.

The judge further ordered the convicts to partner with the EFCC in public awareness campaigns on the dangers of indiscriminately selling or sharing personal information with others.

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A Nigerian man previously convicted of terror-related offences in Scotland has been deported from Ireland after authorities identified him as a thr£at to national security.

Sam Okwuoha, 28, was among six Nigerian nationals removed from Ireland on a chartered flight that departed Dublin on July 28, 2026, with a stop in Rome before continuing to Lagos as part of a joint Frontex removal operation.

Irish authorities had earlier attempted to deport Okwuoha, but the effort failed after he violently resisted officers from the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). During the incident, he defecated on himself in an attempt to disrupt the removal process, becoming the first person prosecuted in Ireland for obstructing the enforcement of a deportation order.

While in court, Okwuoha claimed he was one of 10 identical brothers born as decuplets and argued that police had mistaken him for one of his siblings. However, prosecutors later withdrew the case after confirming he had been deported.

Okwuoha was convicted in Scotland in 2023 over a series of terror-related offences committed at Dundee University between 2021 and 2022 while studying energy studies. After his advances toward a fellow student were rejected, he made multiple threats, including threatening to kill university staff, carry out mass murder, use biological weapons, behead police officers, and bomb the university.

He also claimed he had enlisted the support of the Islamic State group to bomb the university and threatened to launch a chemical attack on Dundee.

He was sentenced to 40 months in prison, and the court ruled that his presence in the UK was “not conducive to the public good,” ordering his deportation. After travelling to Ireland, he was detained, with authorities again citing national security concerns before his eventual removal to Nigeria.