It is another sad news coming from Abagana in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, as four suspects, including a 21-year-old woman, were, over the weekend, arrested for allegedly burning a 74-year-old wheelchair-bound woman to death.
The suspects, after committing the heinous act, were said to have procured a casket and were about to bury the victim’s charred remains when security operatives intervened.
A statement on Sunday by the State Police Command spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, revealed that the tragic incident occurred on Saturday. Still, police operatives recovered the victim’s burnt remains, her wheelchair, and the casket yesterday.
The statement said, “The Anambra State Police operatives serving at Abagana Divisional Police Headquarters on 26/1/2024 at about 9 a.m. arrested four suspects, including a 21-year-old lady, Chinenye Ekwenugo, from Ifitedunu, over the burning of a 74-year-old woman in a wheelchair at Abagana.
“The three other suspects are Uzochukwu Okeke (47), Fidel Anayo (60), and Ikenna Anene (54), all from Abagana.
“The operatives also recovered the burnt remains of the deceased, her wheelchair, and a casket.
“During interrogation, the suspect Chinenye confessed that her boyfriend, Ifeanyi Igwe, who is currently at large, and three others set the victim ablaze and arranged a casket to bury her before the police intervened,” he said.
Ikenga further disclosed that efforts are underway to apprehend the prime suspect, Ifeanyi Igwe, on the run.
Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been deposited at the morgue for autopsy while an investigation is ongoing to determine the motive behind the crime.
Ikenga said the State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, has called for calm and ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department for a thorough investigation, noting that further updates will be provided.
