A leading rights advocacy group, the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), has petitioned Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, over the death of Hon. Okey Akaneme, former President of the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA).
FENRAD said Akaneme died from internal injuries allegedly sustained during a violent encounter with operatives of the Anambra State Waste Management Authority (ASWAMA), who were reportedly enforcing tax compliance.
In a statement issued Sunday and signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, the group condemned the incident, describing it as part of a growing pattern of state-backed brutality in the name of revenue enforcement.
“The death of Hon. Akaneme is both tragic and unacceptable,” the statement said. “It reflects the dangers of using poorly trained or unsupervised agents to enforce taxes without regard for human rights or lawful procedure.”
FENRAD is demanding an immediate and independent investigation into the incident, prosecution of the agents involved, and compensation for the family of the deceased. It also called for urgent reforms of ASWAMA and other tax enforcement bodies in the state.
The group further urged the Anambra State House of Assembly, police authorities, and the National Human Rights Commission to intervene and ensure justice is served.
“This is about more than one man,” FENRAD said. “It is about protecting citizens from unlawful violence under the cover of governance.”
FENRAD pledged to stand by the Akaneme family and the wider business community in Onitsha, promising to pursue accountability and push for reform.
