November 22, 2024
By Samuel Ogunsona
A 33-year-old man, Ikechukwu Okoye, and his 39-year-old girlfriend, Juliet Ogbodo, have been arrested by the Enugu State Police Command for allegedly abducting and killing a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Mary Nwatu.
According to a statement released by the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, on Thursday evening, the suspects, who are residents of Onuorie-Obuno in Akpugo Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area, were arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad of the Enugu State Police Command.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim, Mrs. Nwatu, was reported missing on September 15, 2024, after all efforts to locate her had proved unsuccessful.
However, on October 5, 2024, Ikechukwu Okoye, who is a kinsman of the victim, began contacting her children, demanding a ransom of six million Naira.
The police spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, stated that the suspects collected N20,000 from the family of the victim to speak with her, but instead, they buried the septuagenarian in a shallow grave after her murder.
Ndukwe explained that “on October 5, 2024, Ikechukwu Okoye, identified as the principal suspect and a kinsman of the victim, began contacting her children, demanding a ransom of six million Naira.
“Upon his arrest, which followed credible intelligence reports, Okoye confessed to kidnapping Mrs. Nwatu on September 14, 2024, around 8:00 a.m. He stated that the victim came to their house to look for his mother when he kidnapped, murdered, and buried her in a shallow grave inside an uncompleted building in the compound.
“Ikechukwu Okoye also confessed to demanding a ransom from the victim’s children, initially asking for N6 million which was later negotiated to N3 million. He eventually received payment of N20,000 which was to allow the children to hear their mother’s voice via the phone before further payments.”
“The victim’s remains have been exhumed and deposited at a mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
“The suspects, along with any other individuals found complicit in this heinous crime, will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations,” Ndukwe stated.
The Enugu State Police Command has commenced a thorough investigation into the matter, and the suspects are currently being held in police custody.
The police have assured the public that justice will be served, and the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be brought to book.
