Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested a man, Nweke Chukwuemeka, for allegedly murdering his neighbor’s four-year-old daughter, identified as Zinachukwu Ugwu.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the command’s public relations officer, Daniel Ndukwe, revealed that a distress call reporting the tragic incident was received around 10:30 p.m. on August 18, 2024.
Ndukwe stated that police operatives from the Command’s Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad in Nsukka quickly responded, rushing to the scene of the crime on Orba Road in Nsukka Local Government Area.
The command’s spokesperson said the operatives “consequently arrested one Nweke Chukwuemeka “m” aged 30, alleged to have gruesomely murdered the female child, Zinachukwu Ugwu, in cold blood while she was sleeping.”
“The lifeless body of the child was taken to the hospital, confirmed dead, and deposited in the mortuary. Additionally, the knife used by the suspect to commit the crime, quantities of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, and an object suspected to be a charm were recovered from him,” the police said.
According to the statement, investigation showed that the suspect hails from Umuagu-Ozalla in the Nkanu West Local Government Area, but resides in the same compound with the child’s parents along with others.
The police also disclosed that, “He initially attempted to attack other neighbours who resisted him and escaped before going into the victim’s apartment, where he saw the helpless child sleeping, and used the knife to cut through her throat.”
“This was after the mother of the child had run out to take the other of her children to safety before coming back for the victim,” it stated.
The police said the suspect, while confessing to the crime, claimed to have acted alone but under the influence of Indian hemp, methamphetamine, locally known as “Mkpuru-mmiri,” and an alcoholic drink he earlier consumed.
“He also confessed to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity and that in 2022, while residing in Jos, Plateau State, he was involved in a cult clash during which he murdered a male member of the rival cult group,” the suspect was quoted in the statement.
The police have stated that the suspect will be arraigned and prosecuted once the investigation is completed.
Describing the act as barbaric, the Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, expressed his condolences to the victim’s parents, siblings, and friends, and assured them that every effort would be made to ensure justice for the innocent child.
He also directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, CID, in Enugu to expedite the investigation and ensure swift prosecution.
Additionally, the commissioner urged the public to remain vigilant and aware of their neighbors’ behaviors to prevent such tragic incidents in the future.
(allnews.ng)
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