Abia State police command has arrested a suspected ritualist, Marshal
Nwankwo, of Dikeukwu autonomous community in Umuahia North Local
Government Area of Abia State, for allegedly killing a hunchback, Mr.
Ukata Iheme, for money making purposes. The suspect, who was said to
have committed the crime with another suspect, Emeka Okoye, now at
large, allegedly killed and buried the victim.
Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Onyeke
Udeviotu, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect was arrested,
following information that he was alleged to have been sighted last with
the victim before his disappearance. According to the Police, the
suspect on interrogation made useful statements that led to the
discovery of the grave where the body of the victim was buried.
Following his confession, the decomposing corpse of the victim was
last Tuesday exhumed from the grave. Udeviotu said the police
investigation was still on-going and appealed for calm. Sources from the
community said the victim was reported missing on Saturday, October 10,
2015. His disappearance was reported to the Police and public
announcements also placed on local radio stations.
The sources said the arrested suspect and his accomplice on the run,
claimed to be pastors. Acting on information, the youths of the
community were said to have stormed the residence of the fake pastor
who, however, denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing
hunch- back. But not satisfied with his answers to questions put to him,
the curious youths handed the suspect over to the Police for further
interrogations.
The Incident;
According to the youth leader of the community, Mr. Chukwudi Egwu,
when the suspect was confronted, he told them that he went to Benin on
the day of the said incident, not knowing that his wife had earlier told
them that he went to Lagos. “We got information that the suspect was
seen on that fateful day at Dubai market Onuimo, drinking wine with the
pastor.
‘’Some people also said they later came to a beer parlour at Dikenta
village drinking together. But the pastor denied setting eyes on him
that day,” Egwu said. He said the youths decided to conduct a search at
the pastors’ churches where they saw a pair of shoes identified by the
victim’s son as his father’s. “This boosted our morale and as we
continued combing the area, we also saw his shorts in a nearby cassava
plantation.
‘’It was at that point that we combed the entire place and saw a
mount of red soil which we strongly believed must be a grave. “We,
therefore, decided to contact the Police who came and we opened the
shallow grave and found his decomposing body inside, with his genitals
and hunchback missing”, the youth leader said.
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