The Enugu State Police Command has apprehended a 30-year-old man, Nweke Chukwuemeka, for the brutal murder of his neighbour’s 4-year-old daughter, Zinachukwu Ugwu.
The tragedy unfolded in the Nsukka area of Enugu State, leaving the community in shock and mourning.
The incident, confirmed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, occurred on August 18, 2024, around 10:30 pm. According to Ndukwe, police operatives from the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad in Nsukka responded swiftly to a distress call from a compound on Orba Road, Nsukka Local Government Area. The call reported the gruesome murder of a young girl.
Upon arrival, the operatives arrested the suspect, who had allegedly murdered the child in cold blood while she was sleeping. The lifeless body of the young girl was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her remains have since been deposited in the mortuary.
During the arrest, the police recovered the knife used in the heinous act, along with a quantity of suspected Indian hemp and an object believed to be a charm.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect hails from Umuagu-Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area but resides in the same compound as the victim’s family. Prior to the attack on the child, Chukwuemeka had attempted to assault other neighbors, who managed to fend him off. He then broke into the victim’s apartment, where he found the helpless child asleep and brutally cut her throat.
Heartbreakingly, the child’s mother had just moments before fled with her other children to seek safety, only to return to the unimaginable horror.
Chukwuemeka later confessed to the crime, claiming he acted under the influence of a cocktail of drugs, including Indian hemp, methamphetamine (commonly known as "Mkpuru-mmiri"), and Action Bitters, an alcoholic drink. He also admitted to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity and confessed to a previous murder in 2022, during a cult clash in Jos, Plateau State.
The Enugu State Police Command has assured the public that Chukwuemeka will face justice, with his arraignment and prosecution pending the conclusion of investigations.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, condemned the act, describing it as barbaric and unthinkable.
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