For nine years, Nnenna John-Anozie has been searching for answers about what happened to her husband, Chukwuemeka John-Anozie, after he was taken away by operatives of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Anambra State.
What began as an early morning encounter at the family’s residence in Lekki, Lagos State, has developed into a prolonged legal battle involving court orders, police investigations, petitions and allegations of misconduct against officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
Despite several interventions by the courts and other government institutions, the family says it is yet to establish what happened to Chukwuemeka.
Speaking to PUNCH Metro on Saturday, Nnenna recounted that the incident happened on June 15, 2017, at about 7.50am when five armed SARS operatives from Awkuzu, Anambra State, arrived at their home.
According to her account, her husband was preparing to take their children to school when the officers intercepted his vehicle and instructed him to reverse.
The operatives subsequently forced their way into the compound and took him inside the house.
Nnenna said the officers entered their bedroom, searched the apartment and carted away a briefcase containing money, international passports, educational and professional certificates, the children’s birth certificates and other important family documents.
Two SUVs and several mobile phones were also taken during the operation.
But beyond the items removed from the house, it was what one of the officers reportedly told her that left her deeply disturbed.
She claimed the officer warned that she would never see her husband again and that taking the matter to court or engaging a lawyer would make no difference.
Her subsequent attempts to get information from the SARS facility in Awkuzu reportedly yielded no answers
.
During one of her visits, she said an officer identified as Obiozor demanded N5m before he would discuss her husband’s case.
The officer later escorted her to the gate and instructed security personnel not to grant her access to the premises. She said she was subsequently turned away whenever she returned.
From that point, Nnenna said she neither saw nor received any communication from her husband.
With no clear explanation from the police, she approached the Anambra State High Court to enforce his fundamental rights.
On July 24, 2017, the court directed the police to either charge Chukwuemeka if there was sufficient evidence against him or release him on bail.
The police were also ordered to bring him before the court and explain why he could not be charged or released.
However, Nnenna said the authorities failed to obey the directive. Instead, the police later informed her that her husband was dead.
That announcement opened another painful chapter in the family’s search for answers.
She maintained that the police did not produce his remains or provide a convincing explanation of how he died. Consequently, she returned to court, requesting an order compelling the authorities to release his body for an autopsy and burial.
On April 16, 2018, the court reportedly directed the police to hand over the remains to the family. Nnenna said that order was also disregarded.
Meanwhile, an internal police investigation appeared to offer a possible breakthrough.
Following a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, the X-Squad unit at Force Headquarters, Abuja, investigated the matter and identified two officers as principal suspects in connection with her husband’s disappearance.
She further disclosed that the Force Headquarters legal department prepared legal advice and charges in 2020. The documents received approval from Anthony Ogbizi, who was then the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department.
Yet, despite those developments, the officers were not prosecuted.
There were also troubling financial allegations. Nnenna claimed that withdrawals were made from her husband’s bank account using his ATM card in the days following his disappearance until the money was exhausted.
The family’s vehicles and other belongings remained unaccounted for, while the investigation file reportedly became difficult to trace for several years.
The woman also took her complaint beyond the police hierarchy.
In October 2020, she petitioned the National Human Rights Commission and later appeared before the Abuja EndSARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry, where she participated in proceedings between 2020 and 2022.
During the hearings, the panel reportedly directed the police to produce the officers connected to the case, disclose her husband’s whereabouts and return the property taken from the family residence.
However, she said the officers failed to appear, while the panel’s directives were not implemented before the proceedings ended without a resolution.
Still determined to uncover the truth, Nnenna submitted another petition to the IGP in November 2023 through her lawyers, Falana and Falana Chambers.
The petition prompted a directive to reopen the investigation, which was assigned to an officer attached to the IGP Monitoring Team.
However, she said the process eventually stalled after requests for relevant documents and investigative records were not fulfilled.
On April 8, 2025, she formally requested access to the investigation records under the Freedom of Information Act.
The request was directed to the then Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, but Nnenna said the documents were not released.
She subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, filing a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/865/2025 against the IGP.
Her request was for certified copies of the investigation records and legal advice relating to her husband’s disappearance.
On September 24, 2025, Justice Binta Nyako ruled in her favour and awarded her N2m in compensation over the violation of her right to information.
Despite the judgment, Nnenna said the police did not comply until after Egbetokun left office in February 2026, when contempt proceedings were initiated against the IGP.
A further development came during proceedings on July 24, 2026, when her lawyer informed her that the police had filed a notice of compliance.
According to the information presented, the investigation file and related documents had been forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation in July 2026.
For Nnenna and her family, however, the movement of the case file does not answer the question that has haunted them since June 2017.
They still want to know what happened to Chukwuemeka John-Anozie, why the police claimed he had died without producing his remains, and why officers identified during an internal investigation have not faced prosecution.
Nine years after he was taken from his home, his family is still demanding answers and accountability.
(Punch Newspapers)
