Former Youth Leader Jailed 21 Years For Arson, Conspiracy In Anambra

Βy Chuks Eke*

Onitsha, Anambra State – Okwudili Ogana, the former youth leader of Ogwuaniocha Community in Ogbaru LGA, Anambra State, has been sentenced to 21 years imprisonment for conspiracy and arson.

Justice J. I. Nweze of the Onitsha Judicial Division delivered the verdict yesterday, concluding a trial that began in 2022.

The judge based his decision on Ogana’s admission of prior knowledge of the arson attack.

The sentence, however, will be reduced to account for the time Ogana has already spent in pre-trial custody.

The case stemmed from the November 15, 2021, attack on the palace of Igwe Oliver Nnaji, the traditional ruler of Ogwuaniocha, who remains missing.

The attack, which involved arson and the abduction of Igwe Nnaji and six others, was allegedly carried out by the “Lion Squad,” a group Ogana allegedly founded and led.

Two key prosecution witnesses, Prince Oliver Onyebuchi Nnaji Jnr. (son of the missing traditional ruler) and Akachukwu Uzoalu (Ogana’s former secretary), testified against Ogana, implicating him as the mastermind behind the Lion Squad’s reign of terror in the community.

They described how Ogana, after the attack, even began presenting himself as the community’s traditional ruler without official authorisation, resorting to violence against those who opposed him.

While Ogana’s defence counsel, Oseloka Osuigwe SAN, remained tight-lipped regarding a potential appeal, Ogana’s family and supporters indicated their intention to challenge the verdict.

A defence witness, 80-year-old Christopher Obumseli, had previously testified to Ogana’s good character and leadership qualities, though he admitted to being unaware of the Lion Squad’s actions or Igwe Nnaji’s status as the traditional ruler.

Initially, Ogana and six others faced four counts of conspiracy, arson, kidnapping, and murder. However, Justice Nweze discharged six of the accused earlier this year and in October 2024 due to insufficient evidence.

The charges against Ogana were ultimately reduced to conspiracy and arson, with the kidnapping and murder charges dropped.

The prosecution, led by Chief Ikenna Egbuna SAN, presented evidence under charge No. 0/32C/2022, detailing the alleged conspiracy and the destruction of Igwe Nnaji’s property.

The offences were stated to violate Sections 495(a), 315(1)(a), 474, 274(1), and 416 of the Criminal Code, Cap 36, Volume II, Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria, 1991.

The 21-year sentence marks a significant development in this high-profile case, though the ongoing search for Igwe Oliver Nnaji remains unresolved.