A 33-year-old man and girlfriend have been arrested by the police for alleged abduction and murder of a kinswoman identified as Mrs Mary Nwatu, a 70-year-old.
The suspects identified as Ikechukwu Okoye and Juliet Ogbodo (39), both of Onuorie-Obuno in Akpugo Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area, were also said to have buried the septuagenarian in a shallow grave after her murder and went to demand for N6million ransom from her children.
They, however, ran out of luck and were arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, of the Enugu State Police Command, after they collected N20,000 from the family of the victim to speak with her.
In a statement on Thursday evening by the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, he said a preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was reported missing on September 15, 2024, after all efforts to locate her had proved unsuccessful.
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.”
Ndukwe explained that upon interrogation, Miss Juliet Ogbodo, Okoye’s mistress, confessed to being aware of the crime but failed to report it to the police or any other relevant authorities for being afraid.
“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.
