Imo Vigilante Arrested Over Murder

Imo State police command has arrested a member of the Umuodu Vigilante Group, Chinenye Nwaneri, over his alleged involvement in the murder of a lady, Chienyenwa Nnodu.

Her lifeless body was found inside a gutter in front of an uncompleted building at Madumere Street, Christ Road.

In a statement issued yesterday in Owerri, the state capital by the command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, he said the investigation ordered by commissioner of police, Aboki Danjuma, revealed that the deceased was seen last with her alleged lover (Nwaneri) of 43, Christ Church Road, Owerri, trekking to his house in the night of January 5, 2024.

Okoye said, “Following a distress call received from Bishop Silas Anoruo ‘m’ on January 7, 2024, that the lifeless body of a young lady was seen inside a gutter in front of his uncompleted building at Madumere Street, Christ Road, Owerri, operatives of Owerri Urban Divisional Headquarters mobilised to the scene, recovered the corpse and deposited same at Imo State for autopsy.”

He said preliminary investigation revealed the identity of the deceased as Chienyenwa Nnodua and that she was seen last with Nwaneri.

“This raised suspicion which prompted the operatives to invite Nwaneri for questioning.

“On interrogation, Chinenye Nwaneri initially denied knowing the deceased but later confessed after he was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) that he was with the deceased the night before she was found dead in a gutter but denied that she was his lover,” Okoye said.

The police spokesperson said witnesses, including the sister of the deceased and a vigilante member who was on night duty with him, volunteered statements to the police.

“The sister of the deceased stated that the suspect was her late sister’s boyfriend for four years, narrating further that her sister informed her that she was going to spend a night in the suspect’s house.

“The vigilante who was on night duty with the suspect said he saw him at midnight with the deceased along Christ Church Road while on foot patrol.

“Investigation is still ongoing, the body of the deceased has been sent to a forensic pathologist to ascertain the cause of her death. The case will be charged to court pending the outcome of the investigation,” Okoye said.