Two undergraduates men in police custody over murder of housewife

                            Okoh and Okefie

TWO undergraduates of one of the state-owned universities in the South-east have been arrested by the police in Enugu over an alleged murder of a housewife, Mrs Stella Uhuo.

Uhuo was said to have met her untimely death in the hands of the two students, whose names were given as James Okoh and Victor Uchenna Okefie, on November last year while on her way to Abakaliki, Ebonyi State to deliver some luggage sent through her to families of some friends based in the United States of America (USA).

It was gathered that Uhuo, who had gone to the United States on vacation, had on the fateful day contacted James, who had always assisted her with commercial errands at Abakaliki, informing him of her arrival from her tour and wanted him to meet her at the Enugu airport with his cab.

James, said to be a final year student in the department of Sociology and hails from Amata in Afikpo local government of Ebonyi State, was said to have arrived the airport in company of Victor Uchenna Okefie and both undergraduates, were said to have assisted the victim to load some of the luggage meant for Abakaliki in the boot of their Volvo car with registration number Lagos EKY 855CY.

It was further gathered that while other members of the deceased family who were also at the airport had left with her personal luggage to their home in Enugu, she (deceased) was said to have left with James and his friend in their car to deliver the luggage at Abakaliki.

According to the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu: “Along the way, Okoh and Okefie diverted the car off the busy Enugu Abakiliki Expressway to a road side off the expressway at about 10.00a.m. At that juncture, it became obvious to the deceased that something was wrong.

To Okoh and Okefie that was a ripe time for them to execute their illicit plan of dispossessing the deceased all the luggage as contained in the car but resistance was shown, which saw the deceased being beaten while on seat belt by two of the suspects until she gave up her ghost.

“On noticing that the woman had died, they quietly and smartly brought her to a dust bin located near Enugu/ Abakiliki Expressway and dumped her body there and left with the luggage, which they ransacked and collected all the items contained therein, including some dollars, male clothes and iPods among others and fled.”

He added: “Suspects have been at large since the commission of the dastardly act until the operatives who had been on their trail recently nabbed Okoh on January 29, 2016 in his hostel at Ebonyi State while Okefie was trailed to his parents house at Ajaokuta in Kogi state on January 31, 2016 where he was nabbed.”

He said the suspects had confessed to the crime, adding that they are regretting committing the act. The suspects he added confessed having no intention of killing the woman but to collect the luggage and
escape.

They said it was the resistance she mounted that made them to beat her up so that she could be weak and that way, they would operate smoothly but unfortunately, she died. Suspects are begging for forgiveness”, he added.

Amaraizu revealed that the deceased had been helping James for many years, adding that the trust she had in him made her call him each time she travelled and had items to convey to Abakaliki.

He said a full-scale investigation has commenced into the incident just as the deceased dead body had been in a nearby mortuary pending the conclusion of the investigations.

Source : The Guardian