Enugu Police Arrest Couple for Kidnapping, Murdering 70-Year-Old Woman

The Enugu State Police Command has apprehended a man and his girlfriend in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Mary Nwatu. The suspects, identified as Ikechukwu Okoye, 33, and his girlfriend, Juliet Ogbodo, allegedly buried the victim in a shallow grave following her death in September 2024.

According to a statement from the Command’s spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe, Mrs. Nwatu was reported missing on September 15, 2024, after efforts to locate her proved unsuccessful. Investigations revealed that Okoye, a kinsman of the victim from Onuorie-Obuno in Akpugo Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area, contacted her children on October 5, demanding a ransom of six million Naira (₦6,000,000) for her release.

Ndukwe disclosed that Okoye admitted to kidnapping the victim on September 14 when she visited his house in search of his mother. He confessed to killing her and burying her remains in an uncompleted building on the property. Okoye further confessed to negotiating the ransom to three million Naira (₦3,000,000) but only received twenty thousand Naira (₦20,000) to allow the victim’s children to hear their mother’s voice over the phone.

The statement also detailed the involvement of Okoye’s girlfriend, Ogbodo, who admitted to being aware of the crime but failed to report it.

Following the confession, the victim’s remains were exhumed and taken to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy. The police have assured that the suspects, along with any other accomplices, will face prosecution upon the conclusion of their investigation.