The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed two separate gruesome killings in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of the state, involving family members allegedly hacked to death with cutlasses by close relatives.
The incidents, which occurred on Friday in different communities within the council area, reportedly left four persons dead, including a woman and her young daughter.
Police spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that one of the suspects allegedly beheaded his 60-year-old mother, while another suspect was said to have killed his sister and her child before burying them in a shallow grave alongside a dead white cock, in what investigators suspect may be ritual-related.
According to the police, operatives attached to the Igbo-Etiti Division responded at about 3:10 p.m. on Friday following a distress call from Nkporogwu Ukehe community, reporting that a man identified as Anikwe Onyebuchi, aged about 40, used a cutlass to murder and behead his mother, identified as Anikwe Felicia.
“The corpse and severed head of the deceased were recovered and taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed her dead, after which the remains were deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy,” the statement said.
The police added that the suspect was nearly lynched by an angry mob before operatives intervened.
“The suspect was subsequently rescued and rearrested from an angry mob that had severely beaten him and was taken to hospital for medical treatment. Full-scale investigation into the incident has commenced,” the command stated.
In a separate incident reported minutes later at about 3:18 p.m., operatives of the Command’s Distress Response Squad stationed at Ekwegbe Junction along the Ugwuagu/Opi/Nsukka Road reportedly responded to another emergency call from Agu-Ekwegbe community.
Police said the suspect, identified as Joshua Eze, allegedly used a cutlass to behead his sister, Nwabuche Eze, and her young daughter, Favour Eze.
“The remains of the deceased victims were recovered and taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed them dead, after which the corpses were deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy,” the police said.
According to preliminary investigations, the suspect allegedly buried the victims in a shallow grave after killing them.
“Preliminary investigations further revealed that after allegedly murdering the victims, he buried their remains in a shallow grave alongside a dead white cock, suggesting possible ritual intentions,” the statement added.
The suspect was also reportedly attacked by residents of the community before police operatives arrived.
“The suspect was also rescued from an angry mob in a critical condition and taken to the hospital, where doctors later confirmed him dead. His corpse was equally deposited in the mortuary,” the police stated.
Reacting to the incidents, the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mamman Giwa, condemned the killings and ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department to immediately launch a comprehensive probe into the circumstances surrounding the incidents.
The police commissioner also warned residents against resorting to jungle justice, urging members of the public to hand over criminal suspects to law enforcement agencies instead of taking the law into their own hands
