Police arrests man, girlfriend for murder of elderly woman

Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested a 33-year-old man, identified as Ikechukwu Okoye, and his 39-year-old girlfriend, Juliet Ogbodo, for allegedly murdering a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Mary Nwatu.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Command’s spokesperson DSP Daniel Ndukwe, on Thursday night.

He noted that the arrest was carried out by the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad following credible intelligence.

According to report, the suspects, who both hail from Onuorie-Obuno in Akpugo Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, reportedly killed the victim and buried her in a shallow grave before demanding a ransom of N6 million from her children.

They were apprehended after receiving N20,000 from the family, ostensibly to facilitate a phone call with the victim.

The statement reads, “On October 5, 2024, the principal suspect, Ikechukwu Okoye, who is also a kinsman of the victim, contacted her children, demanding a ransom of N6 million.

“He admitted abducting Mrs. Nwatu on September 14, 2024, at about 8 am when she came to their house to look for his mother.

“The suspect also admitted to demanding a ransom from the victim’s children, initially requesting N6 million before negotiating down to N3 million.

“However, he accepted an initial payment of N20,000 on the condition that the family would hear their mother’s voice over the phone before making further payments.”