By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The operatives of the Anambra State Homeland Security Outfit, popularly known as Agụnechemba/Udo Ga-Achị have busted a notorious brothel being used for illegal activities in the state, arresting many commercial sex workers and other suspects, as well as recovering cache of illicit drugs and gun, among other exhibits.
The raid and operation, which took place over the weekend at the Airtight Guest House and Bar, located at the Y-Junction axis of Okpuno in Awka South Local Government Area of the state, also culminated in the demolition and taking over of the facility by the Anambra State Government in line with the section 16, sub-section 2 of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025, which empowers the state government to take over ownership of any facility used to perpetrate any deal on Illicit drugs in the state.
According to reports, the operatives, during the raid, uncovered assorted illicit substances such as tramadol, Indian hemp, nitrous oxide, rohypnol, and a locally made single-barreled short gun in the facility. While all the illicit drugs were uncovered in one room designated as Store in the brothel, the short gun was reportedly uncovered in another room in the facility.
A total of 38 suspects, comprising 20 suspected female commercial s£x workers and 18 males, including the manager of the facility, a supervisor, a bar attendant, and a storekeeper, were also arrested during the operation.
Speaking during interrogation, one of the suspects, Mr. Chibuike Paul, who identified himself as the Manager of the brothel, confessed to using the facility for illicit drug business, aside the usual commercial s£xual services being rendered to customers by the s£x workers in the brothel.
Giving more overview of the illicit substances recovered, he, however, claimed that he was not the owner of the business, but only working as the Manager for a Boss identified as Chidi Benson, whom, he revealed, also has another similar outlet along the popular Abakaliki Street in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
Parading the suspects and speaking in an interview with newsmen shortly after leading the operations, the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Community Security, Mr. Ken Emeakayi explained that the major objective of the raid was not merely to clamp down on commercial sex activities, but to decisively dismantle a growing hub of illicit drug operations discovered within the facility.
He stressed that the discovery of large quantities of hard and illicit drugs in a single room designated as a store within the brothel raised serious security concerns, noting that the substances were not scattered but strategically kept in one location, pointing to the organized nature of the crime, rather than a casual incident.
Emeakayi further revealed that during the search, operatives ensured transparency by carrying along staff of the facility, who witnessed firsthand the recovery of the drugs and the firearm from different rooms within the premises. According to him, this was necessary to eliminate any form of doubt or allegation of foul play in the operation.
Clarifying the legal basis for the government’s action, he cited the provisions of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025, particularly Section 16(1), which explicitly prohibits the use of any property within the state for the manufacture, sale, or use of illicit drugs.
He added that the law goes further in Section 16(2) to mandate that any property found to be used for such illegal purposes shall be forfeited to the Anambra State Government, a provision he said was being strictly enforced in this case.
“Going by the law, this property has automatically become that of the Anambra State Government. On behalf of Ndi Anambra and the government of Anambra State, we are here to take possession of the property,” he declared, further emphasizing that the state would not tolerate any facility being used as a base for criminal activities, especially those capable of endangering public health and safety.
He further disclosed that preliminary investigations suggest that the facility may be part of a wider network of similar illicit operations within Awka, particularly following the confession by the manager that his alleged employer operates another outlet along Abakaliki Street.
Emeakayi assured that the government would intensify its crackdown on such criminal networks across the state, warning property owners and operators against allowing their premises to be used for illegal activities.
He also reaffirmed the commitment of the Soludo-led administration to sanitizing the state and ensuring that Anambra remains unsafe for criminal elements, while also urging residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by providing useful information.
Recall that the Agụnechemba operatives had similarly raided a kidnappers’ hideout in a brothel at Akwu-Ukwu community in Idemili South Local Government Area of the State in the past, and during which two suspected kidnappers were arrested, alongside five commercial s£x workers who reportedly provided cover for them.
