Traders at the popular Onitsha market in Anambra state have appealed to the newly deployed Commissioner of Police in the state to urgently investigate alleged harassment, midnight raids and unlawful seizure of goods by some policemen operating in the commercial city.

The traders alleged that a team of police officers attached to an Area Command in Onitsha had been breaking into their shops at night and carting away their goods without search warrants, court orders or any explanation.

Speaking with journalists, spokesman of the affected traders, Nnanunyelugo Elias, alleged that the policemen usually carry out the raids around 10pm when most traders had closed for the day.

According to him, the officers allegedly use heavy instruments and rods to force open targeted shops before loading the goods into police vehicles and taking them to their station.

Elias alleged that the latest incident occurred on August 9, 2026, at Shop 52, Building Materials Section, where five policemen identified as Inspector Anthony, Inspector Elijah, Sergeant Daniel, Sergeant Ebo and Assistant Superintendent of Police Sebastine allegedly invaded a medicine store.

He claimed that the officers broke into the shop and removed drugs allegedly worth more than N50 million before conveying them in a police pickup van to the Area Command.

“They carried out the raid without any official document, no search warrant and no court order,” he alleged.

Elias further alleged that when the owner of the medicine shop visited the command the following morning to recover his goods, he was allegedly told that the drugs had been transferred to a government ministry responsible for seized goods.

He claimed that the owner was not informed of the alleged offence, the identity of the officials handling the matter or the location of the ministry.

According to him, the trader was later allegedly advised by a policeman to leave the station quietly, following claims that the drugs had already been sold.

The traders alleged that similar incidents had occurred previously but that many victims were afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation.

They therefore, called on the new Commissioner of Police to investigate the allegations, identify officers involved and take appropriate disciplinary measures against any personnel found culpable.

“Onitsha is a very volatile city as a commercial nerve centre in the eastern part of the country. If such officers are allowed to continue holding sway, they will bring more bad name to the Police,” Elias said.

The traders also alleged that two of the officers named were connected with a recent shooting incident around Onitsha Head Bridge, urging the police authorities to investigate the allegation as well.

However, efforts to obtain the reaction of the Anambra state Police Command through its Police Public Relations Officer were unsuccessful, as calls to his telephone did not go through as of press time.

The allegations could not be independently verified as at the time of filing this report.