AVG Disbanded: Agunechemba Orders Statewide Halt, Warns Defaulters Of Arrest
By Gloria Anaeze Onitsha
The leadership of Agunechemba, Anambra State’s newly structured security outfit, has announced the immediate disbandment of the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG), directing all vigilante formations operating under the repealed law to cease activities across the state.
The directive was issued on Friday in Awka by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, during a strategic meeting with private security stakeholders. He declared that the law establishing AVG has been repealed, rendering its operations illegal. Any individual or group found operating under the defunct structure, he warned, would be arrested and prosecuted.
Emeakayi explained that the engagement was convened to strengthen internal security collaboration and streamline private security operations within the framework of the Anambra Homeland Security structure. He disclosed that local government chairmen would soon receive official communication barring them from recognising or working with any vigilante group operating as AVG.
He emphasised that Agunechemba structures have now been established in all 21 local government areas, making the continued use of the AVG name unlawful.
All private security firms, he directed, must register with Agunechemba to operate legally and without interference. Citing Section 7 of the Anambra Homeland Security Law, 2025, Emeakayi noted that private security operators are required to meet stipulated regulatory conditions and register with the State Government after clearance from the appropriate federal authority.
To ensure compliance, a joint screening committee comprising officers from the Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has been constituted. The committee will vet private security firms and their personnel seeking registration with both Agunechemba and the Police.
He mandated that all security companies present their employees for physical screening and proper documentation, stressing that the state must have accurate records of every operative. Any staff exit, he added, must receive prior approval before work tools are reassigned. Firms were cautioned against recruiting individuals linked to cultism, drug abuse, or criminal activities, warning that violations would attract criminal sanctions.
Also speaking, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, represented by Deputy Superintendent of Police Felix Emmanuel of the CP Monitoring Team, urged operators to avoid engaging persons with questionable backgrounds and to prioritise the welfare of their staff.
He warned against arming poorly paid personnel, noting that inadequate welfare could lead to weapon misuse. All armed operatives, he insisted, must be duly registered with both Agunechemba and the Police, while Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) must be kept informed of their activities for effective supervision and accountability.
The CP further directed security firms to disclose legitimate sources of their operational equipment. He clarified that under existing Anambra State law, only Agunechemba is authorised to bear firearms due to the peculiar security challenges confronting the state. Any private security outfit seeking to operate armed personnel must do so strictly under Agunechemba’s regulatory framework and approved uniform codes.
He reiterated that the roles of private security personnel remain limited to static duties such as guarding premises and managing crowds, not providing escorts or engaging in combat operations.
Stakeholders at the meeting commended Agunechemba for its proactive security interventions, citing noticeable reductions in crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery, and murder in Obosi and other urban communities since the outfit became operational.
The development signals a decisive restructuring of community-based security architecture in Anambra State, with authorities vowing zero tolerance for unauthorised vigilante operations.
