By Omoyele Sowore
AKWA (CONVERSEER) – Nnamdi Daniel Emeh is a Nigerian whistleblower whose disclosures brought to light grave allegations of abuse, including claims of organ harvesting, extrajudicial killings, extortion, and corruption allegedly involving elements of the Anambra State Police Command. Rather than investigate these allegations transparently and hold those implicated accountable, Nigerian authorities turned their focus on Emeh himself, unleashing a pattern of arrest, prolonged detention, procedural obstruction, and repeated violations of court orders.
What follows is a factual account of how a young IT specialist and public-interest whistleblower became the subject of relentless state persecution after exposing claims that shook the foundations of law enforcement in Anambra State.
Please read the detailed account here: Nnamdi Daniel Emeh is a Nigerian graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, in Anambra State. Alongside his formal education, he developed advanced skills in information technology, becoming proficient as an IT and digital tracking specialist.
Following graduation, Emeh undertook his compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. In 2022, he was posted to the Anambra State Police Command, where he served as an IT tracking expert. In that role, he reportedly assisted law enforcement in tracking and apprehending several high-profile criminal suspects.
In early 2023, a series of allegations began appearing on Gistlover, an anonymous Nigerian social-media blog. These posts detailed serious claims of extrajudicial killings, abductions, extortion, corruption, and organ trafficking, allegedly perpetrated by members of the Anambra State Rapid Response Squad (RRS)—a unit with which Emeh had worked. Among those named were the head of the unit, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Patrick Agbazue, and his subordinate, Inspector Harrison Akama.
On 17 February 2023, then–Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba constituted a panel to investigate the allegations. To date, the findings of that investigation have never been made public.
Just three days later, on 20 February 2023, an arrest warrant was issued for Nnamdi Emeh. By this time, he had reportedly been warned that his life was in danger and had fled Nigeria for neighbouring Benin Republic. On 3 March 2023, he was arrested in Benin on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice and forcibly returned to Nigeria.
According to Red Notice Monitor, Emeh’s arrest occurred shortly after he was identified on social media as the alleged source of information leaked to Gistlover. Upon his return to Nigeria, he was charged with fraud, money laundering, impersonation of a police officer, unlawful possession of a firearm, and defamation. Red Notice Monitor has described these charges as “consistent with the types of false charges deployed by despotic regimes in politically motivated Red Notices against dissidents.”
Emeh was initially detained at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Garki, Abuja, before being transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in Awka, Anambra State. Public alarm was raised after reports surfaced of a plot to assassinate him during this transfer. Following the outcry, he was formally charged and produced in open court.
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On 11 May 2023, Emeh appeared before the Federal High Court in Awka and was subsequently remanded at the Awka Correctional Centre, where he remains in custody.
On 17 May 2023, Emeh was granted bail pending trial by Justice Riman, who later passed away. Bail was granted subject to conditions, all of which were fulfilled except the surrender of his passport, which remained in the possession of the police, who refused to release it.
On 27 May 2023, Emeh’s legal counsel secured a court order compelling the police to release his passport. The police complied on 6 July 2023. Despite this, Emeh was not released on bail. His lawyers maintain that obstructive conduct by officials of the Federal High Court in Awka prevented his release, even though all bail conditions had been perfected.
On 15 May 2024, Justice S. M. Shuaibu, who had replaced the late Justice Riman, issued a release warrant for Emeh, with his release scheduled for the following day. However, on 16 May 2024, police filed an ex parte application dated 10 May, seeking a stay of execution and revocation of the bail order.
On 9 July 2024, Justice Shuaibu dismissed the police application. Nevertheless, the release warrant was never executed. Shortly thereafter, Justice Shuaibu went on extended leave, was transferred to another jurisdiction, and the case was reassigned to Justice Evelyn Anyadike.
On 15 November 2024, the case resumed de novo before Justice Anyadike. When Emeh’s bail release was raised, it emerged that key court documents—including the release warrant—were missing from the case file.
In January 2025, Justice Anyadike ruled that new sureties must be produced to perfect Emeh’s bail, despite objections from defence counsel. The trial resumed on 19 March 2025, with two prosecution witnesses testifying and being cross-examined. Subsequent hearings were adjourned to 17 June 2025, and again to 23 September 2025, when another state witness was heard. The matter was then adjourned to 9 December 2025.
Further Developments and Safety Concerns
In late October 2025, credible information emerged indicating that Emeh’s life was in imminent danger. According to his father, Professor John Emeh, a weapon had been smuggled into Awka Correctional Centre with instructions to engineer a fight during which Nnamdi would be assassinated.
In response, Blueprint for Free Speech, alongside twenty other international NGOs, issued an open letter calling for Emeh’s immediate release in compliance with court orders, an investigation into the threats against his life, and assurances of his safety in custody and upon release. The letter also demanded that the Inspector General of Police publicly release the findings of the earlier police investigation into the RRS allegations.
The appeal was addressed to senior Nigerian officials, including:
- The Controller-General, Nigerian Correctional Service
- The Attorney-General of the Federation
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs
- The Inspector-General of Police
- The Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission
- The Minister of Interior
On 20 November 2025, Blueprint for Free Speech was notified by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that the complaint had been registered under reference C/2025/CPR/2689/HQ and referred to the Anambra State NHRC office for preliminary investigation.
On 3 December 2025, the recipients of the Eighth Blueprint Whistleblowing Prizes were announced. Nnamdi Emeh was named as one of the Africa-region winners, in recognition of his disclosures and as a stark example of the risks faced by whistleblowers acting in the public interest.
Nnamdi Emeh is currently supported by Blueprint for Free Speech and the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF).
For further information, media enquiries may be directed to: media@blueprintforfreespeech.net
Source: Omoyele Sowore
