The police in Anambra State say they have arrested two men suspected of killing a 33-year-old married woman in Oraifite, a community in Njikoka Local Government Area.
The police identified the men as Thankgod Ikwugwara, 26, and Makuochukwu Uzoigwe, 20.
The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The latest development occurred days after a 33-year-old man, Ifechukwu Okechukwu, allegedly murdered and secretly buried his 23-year-old girlfriend in the South-eastern state.
How it happened
In the latest incident, Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the mother of the now deceased victim reported at the Oraifite Police Headquarters on 13 March that she was missing.
The spokesperson said that the following day, the body of the victim was found inside a culvert near Jesus Bus Stop at Oraifite.
“Following the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, for a comprehensive investigation, the police operatives, leveraging on intelligence and digital forensic leads through sustained efforts, eventually arrested the two suspects on 6th June 2026,” he said.
Suspects confess
Mr Ikenga said in the statement that Mr Ikwugwara, who is the prime suspect, and the second suspect, Mr Uzoigwe, confessed to the crime of killing during interrogation.
He said the prime suspect claimed to be in a romantic relationship with the deceased for about three years, but was unaware that she was married.
The police spokesperson also said the suspect claimed that he had a disagreement with the deceased’s husband and then developed a strange illness, which reportedly affected his sight.
He said the suspect further claimed that, out of resentment, he plotted the deadly attack by luring the deceased to his residence under the pretext of seeking medical help.
“Upon her (victim’s) arrival, he (Ikwugwara) and the second suspect allegedly attacked her with a machete, resulting in her death.
“The suspects subsequently disposed of the body in a culvert near Jesus Bus Stop, Oraifite, in the early hours of the following day,” the police said.
Mr Ikenga said the suspects would be charged in court with murder upon the conclusion of the investigation.
He said the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, praised the police operatives for their resilience and professionalism in uncovering the crime after three months of investigation.
Mr Orutugu reaffirmed the commitment of the police in Anambra State to ensure justice for the slain victim.
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Murder is outlawed in Section 315(6) of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act.
Offenders, on conviction, face a death sentence, according to section 319 (1).
Several persons have been sentenced to death for murder across the country.
An Aiyetoro High Court in Ogun State, for instance, sentenced a man, Adelake Bara, to death by hanging in June 2022, for shooting and killing one Olaleye Oke.
A high court in Lokoja, Kogi State, in January 2022, also sentenced a man, Muritala Dare, to death by hanging for stabbing his colleague to death with a broken bottle.