The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD) has strongly condemned the killing of a youth leader from Okon Aku in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, Igwe Akuma Akwu, by gunmen.
FENRAD has described the incident as a grave violation of the fundamental right to life and a disturbing reflection of rising violence and impunity.
Akwu was shot dead on Friday, 2nd January, 2026 by unknown gunmen, a development that sparked fury and destruction of many property in the community.
Posts made by the late Akwu on December 30, 2025, on social media, showed that the former President-General of the National Association of Ohafia Students, NAOS, actually alerted the government and security agencies that his life and those of his people were under threat.
In the post which he made three days before his death, Igwe Akuma Akwu cried out that he was mercilessly beaten by some thugs working for an individual, and his Toyota Corolla car was set ablaze on October 28, 2025, by a group allegedly boasting a connection and control of government.
Reacting to the development in a press release issued from Umuahia, the Executive Director of FENRAD, Comrade Nelson Nwafor expressed deep concern that these documented threats, which he described as clear early warning signals, did not receive the urgent and decisive response expected from security institutions.
He noted that the failure to act on such warnings represents a systemic lapse that places citizens, particularly outspoken youth and community leaders, at serious and avoidable risk.
The FENRAD warned that the killing reflects a growing pattern of violent attacks and intolerance within civic spaces, noting that when such acts go unaddressed, public trust in state institutions is eroded and the rule of law weakened.
“As part of its calls to action, FENRAD demands an immediate, thorough, and transparent investigation into the killing by relevant security agencies.
“We also called for the arrest and prosecution of all individuals connected to the crime, without bias, fear, or favour.
“Additionally, FENRAD urges a comprehensive review of security response mechanisms to reported threats, as well as institutional accountability for any negligence that may have contributed to the failure to protect the deceased.
“Justice for Igwe Akuma Akwu is not optional. It is a constitutional and moral imperative,” FENRAD said, warning that failure to ensure accountability would reinforce the dangerous perception that violence carries no consequences.
The group expressed solidarity with the family and community of the slain youth leader and reaffirmed its commitment to sustained advocacy for justice, human rights protection, and an end to impunity.
