Four persons have been arrested by the Anambra State police command’s operatives for burning a 74-year old woman to death.
The incident happened on Saturday in Abagana, Dunukofia local government area. Her attackers immediately procured a coffin and interred her immediately.
A source said the woman who uses a wheelchair was suspected to have been burnt for ritual purposes, by one Ifeanyi Igwe who is still at large, but five persons connected to the incident, including his girlfriend, Chinenye Ekwenugo a 21 years old girl was arrested.
Police Public Relations Officer of Anambra State Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga set the record straight in a press release, saying that three of the four persons arrested were linked to the procurement of a coffin and burial of the victim.
His release read: “The Anambra State Police operatives serving at Abagana Divisional Police Headquarters today 26/1/2024 by 9 am arrested four suspects including a 21-year old lady Chinenye Ekwenugo from Ifitedunu.
“They were arrested over the burning of a 74 (seventy-four) years old woman in a wheelchair at Abagana.
“During interrogation by police operatives, the suspect, Chinenye confessed that her boyfriend Ifeanyi Igwe who is currently at large and three others set the victim ablaze and got a casket to bury her before the intervention of the security operatives.
“Operatives have initiated moves to arrest the main suspect Ifeanyi Igwe who is currently on the run. The body of the deceased has been deposited in the morgue for autopsy and further probe of the cause of the death.”
Ikenga gave the names of the other three suspects to include: “Uzochukwu Okeke ‘M’ aged 47, Fidel Anayo ‘M’ aged 60
and Ikenna Anene ‘M’ aged 54 years respectively, all from Abagana.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam while reacting to the report of the incident sued for calm and ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Command for a comprehensive investigation,” he said.
