Christopher Isiguzo and Gideon Arinze in Enug
The sleepy Ndiuno community of Nchatacha in Enugu East Council of Enugu State was yesterday thrown into mourning as the lifeless body of a 67-year old woman, Mrs. Regina Mba reportedly abducted from her farmland on Wednesday, was found in a nearby bush.
Villagers said several machete cuts were found on the lifeless body of the woman suggesting that she must have been raped and killed by her abductors.
One of the daughters of the deceased, Amuche Aneke, who spoke amid tears, said that her mother had gone to the farm on Wednesday but she did not return in the evening hours like she usually did.
‘’A search team was constituted immediately and when they got to her farm that Wednesday evening, she was not found’’.
The body of the deceased was however found yesterday morning after an expanded search and it was discovered that she was raped and killed.
Angered by the gruesome murder of Mba, Youths from the community protested along the Enugu-Abakaliki highway, carrying the body of the deceased, burning tyres and preventing vehicular movement in the process.
The protest attracted a large number of security personnel, including the army, police, and Nigerian Air Force, who immediately embarked on air surveillance until the crowd was dispersed and movement resumed.
The deputy governor of the state, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo who visited the family of the deceased on receipt of the information, promised that efforts will be made to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book.
When asked whom he thought the suspects were, President General of Nchatancha-Nike community, Mr. Kingsley Anike said “It is obvious that they are Fulani herdsmen’’.
“She is an old woman and it could not have been any other person that can perpetuate that type of act from the same community. So, we are sure it is the Fulani and that is the obvious fact there’’.
When contacted the Enugu State Police Command, through its spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu said the police received report of the sad incidence and that the Commissioner of Police, Suleiman Balarabe has given directive for full investigation into the murder.
‘’The command advises members of the public to continue to be law abiding and avoid any thing that will truncate the existing peace and security in the state as security operatives will leave no stone unturned towards unmasking those behind the dastardly act’’ he said.
Amaraizu said the corpse of the deceased woman has since been deposited at the hospital mortuary of the Annunciation Hospital for autopsy.
Meanwhile, the Enugu State Government has condemned in its entirely the murder and charged security agencies to commence a full-scale investigation into the unfortunate incident.
A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Simon Ortuanaya, while condoling with the family of the deceased assured that those behind the act would soon be fished out and prosecuted.
