Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have successfully arrested a 33-year-old man, Ikechukwu Okoye, and his 39-year-old girlfriend, Juliet Ogbodo, in connection with the alleged murder of a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Mary Nwatu, in the state. The arrest was made following the work of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, which acted on credible intelligence regarding the crime. The disclosure was made in a statement issued by the police command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, on Thursday night.
According to the police report, the suspects, who both hail from Onuorie-Obuno in the Akpugo community of the Nkanu West Local Government Area in Enugu State, allegedly murdered the elderly woman and buried her body in a shallow grave. After committing the heinous act, the couple reportedly demanded a ransom of N6 million from Mrs. Nwatu's children in exchange for her release, which they claimed was a kidnapping. The suspects were apprehended after they had received an initial sum of N20,000 from the victim’s family, claiming it would facilitate a phone call with Mrs. Nwatu.
The police statement explained that on October 5, 2024, Ikechukwu Okoye, the primary suspect, who is also a kinsman of the victim, contacted Mrs. Nwatu's children and demanded a ransom of N6 million for her safe release. Okoye confessed that he had abducted Mrs. Nwatu on September 14, 2024, when she visited their house to look for his mother. He further revealed that he initially asked for N6 million but later negotiated the ransom down to N3 million. However, they agreed to accept an initial payment of N20,000 on the condition that the family would hear their mother’s voice on the phone before continuing further payments.
The police were able to track and arrest the suspects after this payment, leading to the discovery of their involvement in the murder and the subsequent ransom scheme. DSP Daniel Ndukwe assured that the investigation would continue to ensure that justice is served and the full extent of the crime is uncovered. He also noted that both suspects would be charged accordingly after the completion of the investigation.
