Renowned human rights lawyer and Chair of the Council on Global Affairs (CGoF), Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has insisted that his allegations about a cabinet adviser of the Governor of Anambra State stand unimpeached, dismissing as “an amateur coverup” the recent move by the Anambra State Government to denounce the allegations as “false and misleading.”
In a detailed post on his X handle, Odinkalu disclosed two WhatsApp messages he received on 29 April and 1 May, 2026, from a number he had never communicated with before, purporting to be from the Attorney-General of Anambra State, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, demanding that he disclose the sources of his report on an alleged affair between a security adviser in the Anambra State Government and the wife of one Chukwudozie Nwangwu (a.k.a. Akwa Okuko), who is currently serving a prison term.
The First WhatsApp Message — 29 April
According to Odinkalu, the first WhatsApp message, sent at 1:47 p.m. on 29 April, read as follows:
“Good evening Prof. The Anambra State Government has instituted an investigation into the allegation made on your X handle to the effect that a security adviser in the Anambra State Government is canoodling with the wife of Chukwudozie Nwangwu (Akwa Okuko) who is currently serving a prison term. The Governor directed the investigation in line with the request contained in your post and i therefore respectfully make the following requests:
Thank you sir.
Tobechukwu Nweke SAN, Attorney General of Anambra State.”
The Second WhatsApp Message — 1 May
The second message, sent at 9:05 p.m. on 1 May, read:
“Good morning prof. Please may i remind you of my earlier message sir, asking for the sources of your report on the alleged affair between the security adviser and Chidozie Nwangwu’s wife so the matter can be properly investigated. We really want to get to the bottom of the case to unravel the truth and take appropriate action against whomever is found culpable sir. We are also willing to extend the sitting of the Committee till tuesday 5th May 2026 so you can oblige us with either a physical or virtual meeting as i earlier requested sir.
Tobechukwu Nweke SAN, Attorney General, Anambra State.”
Explaining why he declined to dignify the messages with a response, Odinkalu raised several red flags about the manner in which the supposed investigation was being conducted.
“For the record, the message did not disclose the composition of the so called ‘we’ or ‘investigation’; the bases of its authority, or its #TermsOfReference,” he said.
He added: “It is no wonder that all the person who claimed to be Attorney-General wanted was to ask me to disclose my sources to him.”
In a sharp jab at the formality, or lack thereof, of the engagement, Odinkalu mocked the idea of an investigation being conducted by WhatsApp:
“It also seemed to me incongruous that an investigation should be run by Whatsapp. Surely, an Attorney-General claiming to be a #SAN ought to know how to write a letter.”
He continued: “I was genuinely skeptical about the credentials claimed by this person. I declined to dignify their transmission. I am glad I did so.”
Odinkalu noted that following his refusal to disclose his sources, the Anambra State Government had now publicly named one Mr. Emeakayi as the subject of the allegations and proceeded to draw attention to the antecedents of that name.
“I am not surprised to see that they have chosen the low road of a non-event for a whitewash. They have now named one Mr. Emeakayi as the person. For the record, Ken Emeakayi was the suspect named in the vile murder nearly 25 yrs ago, of the former chairman of @NigBarAssoc in Onitsha together with his wife,” he stated.
The reference is to the notorious murder of Barrister Barnabas Igwe, the then Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Onitsha Branch, and his wife, Mrs. Abigail Igwe, who were brutally killed in 2002 — a case that remains one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Nigerian legal profession.
Odinkalu took particular issue with the language used by the Anambra State Government in its rebuttal, describing the response as not merely a whitewash but an incompetent one.
“I should add one more thing. What the @Anambrastate_ng has attempted to do is worse than a whitewash. To make matters worse, it is incompetent,” he wrote.
He then dissected the government’s language:
“They claim, with a touching lack of self-awareness, that my allegations are ‘false & misleading.’ Allegations can be either false or misleading. They cannot be both at the same time. If the allegations are misleading, the burden is on the government to say how so. They have chosen to walk both sides of the road at the same time assuming that no one will spot the silliness.”
Without naming names beyond what had already been disclosed, Odinkalu expressed disappointment that a state government claiming progressive credentials would stake its credibility on the defence of a man whose reputation for involvement in violence is, in his words, “long and large.”
“I am only disappointed that a state government with claims to progressive credentials will choose to stake its credibility in this manner on behalf of a man whose reputation for involvement in violence is long & large,” he said.
Odinkalu concluded by declaring that the government’s response had, in his view, served only to confirm the credibility of his original allegations.
“This vain & valiant attempt at a coverup is all the proof there is as to the credibility of the claims I made. I stand by everything I have said,” he affirmed.
Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a former Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), is one of Nigeria’s most prominent human rights lawyers and public commentators on issues of governance, accountability and the rule of law.
His insistence that his allegations against a cabinet adviser of the Anambra State Governor stand unimpeached coupled with his pointed criticism of the manner in which the Anambra State Government has handled the matter places the State Government in the difficult position of having to substantively address the underlying allegations rather than rely on a denial that Odinkalu has now publicly described as self-contradictory and incompetent.
With Odinkalu’s reference to Ken Emeakayi and the unresolved murder of the former NBA Onitsha Chairman, Barrister Barnabas Igwe, and his wife nearly 25 years ago, the controversy has now taken on a dimension that goes beyond the immediate allegations and touches on long-standing concerns about justice, accountability and the handling of cases involving powerful political figures in Anambra State.
The Anambra State Government is yet to issue a further response to Odinkalu’s latest statement.
