The Enugu State Police Command has announced the arrest of a 30-year-old who allegedly killed a four-year-old daughter of his neighbour in the state while she was deep asleep.
The arrest was announced in a statement released by the Enugu State Police spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, on Tuesday in the state capital.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Enugu State Police spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, on Tuesday.
He explained that the police operatives in the state attached to the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad on August 18, visited a compound on Orba Road in Nsukka Local Government Area after a concerned citizen had called the command to report an alleged case of murder by an individual.
Upon arrival, the police operative took the body of the girl, which was lifeless, to the hospital, but the medical personnel had confirmed that the girl had died before arrival; the body was later deposited in a mortuary in the state.
The suspects were seen with different indicting items, according to the PPRO. Some of the items recovered included a knife, which was suspected to have been used to commit the crime, a large quantity of hemp and an object suspected to be a charm.
The PPRO noted that according to preliminary investigations, the suspect is a citizen of Enugu state who hails from Umuagu-Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area; he has reportedly stayed in the same compound with the parents of the murdered teenager for the past months.
The PPRO explained that the suspect had, before killing the teenager, attempted to attack other persons who were living in the neighbourhood. He reportedly used the knife to cut off the throat of the young girl. It was explained that when the incident was tense, the mother of the child had taken the other children to safety before coming to behold the dead body of the victim.
After interrogation by the police, the suspect had agreed to commit the crime, the police said. The suspect had noted that he was influenced by the methamphetamine popularity known as Mkpuru-mmiri” and the large quantity of alcohol he had taken.
Further interrogation by the police confirmed that the suspect had been a member of the Vikings Confraternity; he also noted that he had committed a prior murder case during his time in Jos, the Plateau State capital, in 2022.
The PPRO noted that the suspect would be charged with cult and prosecuted once the police investigation was concluded.
The statement added that the state commissioner of police condemned the act while condoling the victim’s family, parents, and siblings. He assured them that the police would do everything possible to ensure justice was served.
The case was handed over to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Enugu. The state commissioner of police charged him with ensuring that the investigations were concluded early to enable timely prosecution of the suspect.
He urged the residents to know who they are staying with by studying their behavioural patterns to avoid a repeat of such an incident.
