•It’s no ritual killing –Police
A 17-year-old secondary school virgin, Miss Chioma Emeka Ikwuagwu
has been beheaded in Ukome, Ibeku, the home town of Abia State Governor,
Chief Theodore Orji, in Unuahia North Local Government Area, while
she was fetching vegetable from her mother’s farm land.Chioma, a student
of Girls’ Secondary School, Umuahia, otherwise known as Holy Rosary
secondary school, was sent by her mother to go to the farm and fetch
vegetable, which the family would use for their evening meal when she
was attacked and beheaded.Her headless body was found at a spot, where
her killers covered her with palm leaves and her head, which was
completely severed from the body, was lying beside the body as her blood
formed a pool on the leaves.
She was in SS3 and was living in Ukome, the home of his father’s late
maternal grandmother, when she was gruesomely beheaded by unknown
assailants.On examination of her body, it was found that no part of her organs was removed, rather her assailants had drawn her jeans trousers down to her laps, while she was still clutching her thighs with one hand, indicating where she probably received the first matchet cut before her attackers cut off her head.
Her father, Emeka Ikwuagwu said that on Friday, July 26, he went to harvest corns from his farm, while his wife, Akunna led some people to weed their other farm in another location.
“When Chioma came to the farm to bring food to the mother and others who were working in the farm for the mother around 12.00pm, her mother requested her to go to another farm to collect some vegetables which the family will use for dinner in the evening. That was the last time I saw her alive, the next was her dead body with her head cut off by unknown persons, who still left the head beside the body”, Ikwuagwu said.
When she was not seen as was supposed, the mother, went in search of her in the farm where she was sent to, only to discover traces of blood everywhere around the farm and rushed back to tell her husband .
Saturday Sun also learnt that there were signs of struggle and dragging of her body from where she was killed and where her body was dropped and covered with palm fronds.
Ikwuagwu said further that they left the body at the spot where it was found till the next day being Saturday when the police removed it and took it to the City gate Mortuary in Umuahia, after it was rejected by the management of the Federal Medical Centre mortuary for undisclosed reasons.
A source from the community told Saturday Sun that on hearing the news of the murder of Chioma, said to be very brilliant, the youths of Ukome launched a search into all the bushes and forests in the area to look for the possible killer or killers of the girl said to still be a virgin when she was killed.
However, their efforts yielded no fruit as no clue led to the traces of her killers who must have absconded to a far away place to hide from the law.
Ikwuagwu, who hails from Ameke, a neighbouring community, reputably known for their war history in the ancient times was said to have reported the incident to his kinsmen, Ameke people , who, on Sunday, July 28, stormed Ukome with wooden gongs and symbolic palm tree leaves which they handed down to Ukome people, demanding their daughter. They had given Ukome people three days to produce their daughter or face the wrath of Ameke people who from ancient times were known as warriors and reputable for head-hunting, something which they had been visited with in the murder of their daughter.
The notice issued to Ukome ended since Tuesday, July 30, 2013 and this has brought a lot of fear and apprehension on the two communities as to what could be the next action of Ameke people.
There are fears that the incident may lead to communal clashes between Ukome and Ameke if nothing is done fast to stem the situation.
However, a suspect has been arrested by the police over the incident following an earlier threat to the Ikwuagwu family over a piece of land willed to Emeka Ikwuagwu by his late grandmother.
The suspect was said to have before now been threatening Emeka Ikwuagwu over the piece of land which was his inheritance and had promised to deal with him. Neighbours said that the accused is the only person every accusing finger is pointing to.
Speaking to Saturday Sun in his office at Bende Road Umuahia, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Usman Tilli, who confirmed the incident, said immediately the matter was reported to the police, his men went to remove the corpse and deposited it at the mortuary. He added that the matter was, however, still being investigated.
The police boss, who ruled out ritual killing, said it could be as a result of land dispute, stating that no arrest has been made so far.
On the tension within the two communities over the dastardly act, the police commissioner sued for peace and said that he has directed the DPO in charge of the area to invite leaders of the two communities for peaceful settlement
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