Police operatives from the Nsukka Sector of the Enugu State Command have arrested a 30-year-old man, Nweke Chukwuemeka, for the alleged murder of his neighbour’s four-year-old daughter.

Nweke allegedly ran amock after inhaling methamphetamine (locally known as Mkpuru-mmiri) and brutally murdered the young Zinachukwu Ugwu in cold blood while she was asleep at about 10:30 p.m.

Confirming the incident in a statement yesterday, the spokesperson for Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, said the child’s lifeless body was taken to a hospital, where she was confirmed dead and subsequently deposited in the mortuary. Ndukwe said the knife used in the crime was recovered from the suspect, alongside quantities of suspected Indian hemp and an object believed to be a charm.

He said: “Preliminary investigations indicated the suspect is from Umuagu-Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Council but resides in the same compound as the child’s parents. Initially, he attempted to assault other neighbours who resisted him, allowing him to escape before entering the victim’s apartment.

“There, he found the defenceless child asleep and used the knife to cut her throat after her mother had temporarily left to ensure the safety of her other children before returning for the victim.

“It was also disclosed that the suspect confessed to the crime, asserting that he acted alone but was under the influence of Indian hemp, methamphetamine and other illicit drugs, all of which he had consumed earlier.

“He admitted to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity and recounted a previous incident in 2022 while living in Jos, Plateau State, where he was involved in a cult clash that resulted in the murder of a male member of a rival cult.”

The Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, described the act as “barbaric and unthinkable” and commiserated with the victim’s parents, siblings, and friends while assuring that every effort would be made to secure justice for the innocent child.

Uzuegbu directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Enugu, to ensure that the ongoing investigations are completed and the case is prosecuted promptly.

Also, one Khadija Umar (aka Naira) and her two sons were arrested by the Nasarawa State Police Command for breaking into a house and carting away belongings.
Disclosing this in a statement yesterday, the spokesperson for the command, DSP Ranham Nansel, said the suspects were arrested on Tuesday by operatives attached to the Angwan Lambu Division in Keffi.

According to him, the criminals’ mode of operation involves Khadija monitoring the residents of a specific area they intend to target. When the coast is clear, she uses two of her biological children and two other suspects, who are still at large, to carry out their illegal activities.

Nansel said two television sets, two 6×6 mattresses, a gas cooker, a 12kg cylinder, a standing fan, a GOtv decoder, cooking pots, an electric jug, a refrigerator and solar panels suspected to have been stolen were recovered.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu Nadada, ordered a manhunt for the other fleeing suspects and directed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to charge the suspects in court after investigations.