By Awka, the Anambra State capital, was thrown into panic late Sunday after unidentified gunmen killed a well-known comedian and media personality along with an as-yet-unidentified man in two separate but apparently connected shootings.
The Attacks
The comedian, Isaac Nwosu, better known by his stage name Aiza Nwosu, was gunned down along S.M. Okeke Street in the Amaikwo area of Awka. A second victim, a middle-aged man whose identity remains unconfirmed, was killed a short distance away along Capital City Road in Amaenyi. Police say the same group of attackers was responsible for both killings.
No motive has been established, but the shootings sent residents scrambling for safety as gunfire echoed through the area. Several eyewitnesses and locals who spoke afterwards pointed to possible cult ties behind the attack, though this has not been officially confirmed.
One witness near the scene where the comedian died described a group of about three assailants travelling in a tinted vehicle who appeared to have tracked Nwosu from his home before cutting off his car and opening fire, leaving him dead inside the vehicle. According to this account, the same attackers then drove on and shot the second victim by the roadside, took his belongings, and fired shots into the air as they fled in what the witness described as a deliberate, almost military-style exit that further unsettled the neighbourhood. Security personnel arrived afterwards to recover the bodies and moved to reinforce patrols in the surrounding streets. Videos that later circulated online appeared to back up these accounts, showing the bodies at both scenes as onlookers gathered.
Police Confirm and Investigate
The Anambra State Police Command confirmed the killings in a statement issued Monday by its Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, condemning the attack and announcing that a manhunt for the perpetrators was already underway, alongside an appeal for public cooperation.
According to the police account, three unidentified individuals travelling in a silver Toyota Corolla, whose registration number has not yet been established, were responsible for shooting two people at separate points across Awka. Once a distress call came in, patrol teams were dispatched to both locations, where officers recovered the bodies from Capital City Road, Amaenyi, and S.M. Okeke Street, Amaikwo, respectively. Both victims were taken to the hospital and pronounced dead by medical staff. While the second victim remains unidentified, police confirmed the first as Isaac Nwosu, also referred to in the statement as “Azia.” Officers recovered ₦7,550, a Moniepoint ATM card, and a pair of slippers at the scene.
Commissioner Orders Deeper Investigation
Anambra’s Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Ama, condemned the killings as unacceptable and a direct challenge to security in the state. He ordered the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for a more thorough and discreet probe, while directing that patrols, surveillance, and intelligence gathering be stepped up across Awka and its neighbouring communities.
The command renewed its appeal to community leaders, residents, motorists, and business owners who may have witnessed the attacks or hold any information about the suspects, their movements, or the vehicle used, urging them to come forward. Officials promised strict confidentiality for anyone who does, framing community cooperation as essential to catching those responsible and preventing further attacks.
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