This is a review of top events which occurred in Nigeria's south-east within the past week
From a lecturer's proposal to a female student in a classroom on Valentine's Day to another prison break in Imo State, the past week was eventful in Nigeria's south-east.
It was the third week of February 2024.
Here are the highlights of the top stories that made headlines in the region within the week:
Arrest of notorious cult leaders behind killings in Anambra
The week began with a cheering announcement from the police that they had arrested two notorious leaders of cult groups in Anambra State.
The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, said in a statement on Monday that the arrested cult leaders were behind killings in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.
Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said the police commissioner in the state, Aderemi Adeoye, has vowed to end cult-related killings in Ihiala communities the same way he stamped out the menace in Awka.
Mr Adeoye further directed the crack squad to flush out all cultists operating in the area.
Recovery of stolen rifles
It was another cheering moment on Monday when the police in Anambra State announced that they had recovered two AK-47 rifles stolen from their facilities by gunmen in 2021.
The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, said one of the rifles was stolen by gunmen who attacked Zone 13 Police Headquarters, Ukpo in Anambra State in 2021.
The spokesperson said undercover police operatives uncovered the location where the gunmen hid the rifles.
He said the rifles were hidden by the hoodlums in Nnobi, a community in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
Killing of PDP House of Reps candidate
We also brought you a story about the killing of a former House of Representatives candidate from Anambra State, Jude Oguejiofor, by gunmen.
Mr Oguejiofor, a lawyer, had contested for the Ihiala Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat in the 2023 general elections under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He was abducted around 1 a.m. two weeks ago, alongside his brother by the gunmen.
The incident happened in the Orsumoghu Community where they had gone to see their aged parents.
But his brother was released unhurt by the gunmen, who subsequently accused Mr Oguejiofor of writing petitions against them and their activities in the community.
This newspaper gathered that Mr Oguejiofor's father fainted and died on 8 February when the gunmen contacted the family and informed them that they had killed the politician.
Attacks and killings by gunmen in the area and other parts of Anambra are not new, but the latest incident is a painful reminder that the insecurity in the South-east region is yet to slow down.
Gunmen said to be part of the Biafra agitation in the South-east have been linked to some of the attacks in the region.
Prison Break
A prison break was recorded in Imo State, Nigeria's south-east, on Monday.
At least seven inmates were freed while a police inspector was killed during the attack on the Okigwe Correctional Centre in the early hours of Monday.
The police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, said members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed militant wing carried out the attack.
Mr Okoye, an assistant superintendent of police, said the attackers also abducted a police operative.
He said they further attacked the residence of a Nigerian senator, Patrick Ndubeze, within the Okigwe area.
This was not the first time a prison facility has been attacked in Imo State.
Armed persons, on 5 April 2021, attacked the Owerri Correctional Centre and freed a total of 1,844 prisoners.
There had been a suspicion among residents of the South-east that some of the inmates who escaped from the Owerri facility might be responsible for the growing attacks in the region.
Arrest of suspected cult leader, three others
On Wednesday, the police in Imo State announced the arrest of a notorious cult leader alongside three others in Mbieri, a community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state.
The police said the suspects had terrorised residents of the council area and other parts of the state.
According to the police, the suspects were arrested earlier on Wednesday when operatives from an anti-vice squad stormed their hideout in the community following a tip-off.
Nigerian lecturer proposes to student on Valentine's Day
There was drama on Wednesday as a lecturer at Abia State University, Uturu, stunned many students by proposing to a female student in her classroom.
The lecturer, Wisdom Anucha, could be seen kneeling with a ring in his hand while proposing to his heartthrob in photographs circulated on Facebook.
Some students watched in apparent excitement while others were busy filming and taking photos as the lecturer proposed to the woman, who is said to be a student of optometry at the institution.
The proposal has continued to trend on social media, with some Nigerians questioning the appropriateness of the lecturer's actions in the classroom.
'Fake Catholic Church'
Here is a strange story about the existence of a "fake Catholic Church" in Enugu State, south-east Nigeria, according to the alarm raised by the Catholic Diocese of Enugu.
The diocese said it was recently drawn to a trending video clip of "simulated Roman Catholic episcopal ordination and liturgical worship" celebrated at Ibagwa-Nike, a community in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state.
The diocese said the group, according to their signpost, claimed that they were members of Old Roman Catholic.
Female lawyer's abuse of 11-year-old house help
The alleged abuse of her 11-year-old house help (name withheld) by a female lawyer in Anambra State was among the trending issues in the South-east within the past week.
The lawyer, Adachukwu Cukelu-Okafor, was said to have used a broken bottle, knife and electric iron to "brutalise" the girl who began staying with her on 5 January.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The incident happened in Akpaka, Onitsha in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State, after Mrs Cukelu-Okafor reportedly accused the house help of touching her daughter.
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State had, days after the incident, said his administration had begun the prosecution of Ms Cukelu-Okafor over the abuse of the house help.
The lawyer later reportedly went into hiding, which prompted the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in Anambra State, Ify Obinabo, to declare her wanted.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that, following Ms Cukelu-Okafor's disappearance, Nigeria's Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, placed a N2 million bounty on her.
However, Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in Anambra, announced on Friday that Ms Cukelu-Okafor surrendered herself to the police in Awka, the Anambra State capital
Mrs Obinabo was quoted as saying the lawyer will be arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka within the following week.
Controversy in Anambra market over killing of trader
On Friday, tragedy struck at Ọgbọ Ọgwụ Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, when a trader was shot dead under controversial circumstances.
Some traders accused personnel of the Special Anambra State Anti-touting Squad of shooting the trader to death while carrying out an operation in the area.
But the Anambra State Government has refuted the claims, insisting that its anti-touting security personnel do not carry firearms.
