Police arrest vigilante member over alleged murder of Imo lady

The police command in Imo State has arrested one Chinenye Nwaneri, a member of the Umuodu vigilante group over alleged involvement in the murder of a young lady, Chienyenwa Nnodu, whose lifeless body was seen inside a gutter in front of an uncompleted building at Madumere Street, Christ Road.

In a statement on Wednesday by Henry Okoye, spokesperson of the command, “CP Aboki Danjuma, the state police commissioner, said an investigation revealed that she was seen last with her alleged lover Chinenye Nwaneri ‘m’, of No 43 Christ Church Road, Owerri, trekking down to his house very late in the night on 5/01/2024.”

He said, “Following a distress call received from Bishop Silas Anoruo ‘m’ on 7/1/2024, that the lifeless body of a young lady was seen inside a gutter in front of his uncompleted building at Madumere Street, Christ Road, Owerri, Operatives of Owerri Urban Divisional Headquarters mobilized to scene, recovered the corpse and deposited same at Imo State for autopsy.

“The preliminary investigation unveiled the identity of the deceased as Chienyenwa Nnodua and further revealed that she was seen last with her alleged lover Chinenye Nwaneri ‘m’, of No 43 Christ Church Road, Owerri, trekking down to his house very late in the night on 5/01/2024.

“This raised suspicion which prompted the determined operatives to invite Chinenye Nwaneri, a member of the Umuodu vigilante group, for questioning.

“On interrogation, Chinenye Nwaneri initially denied knowing the deceased but later confessed after he was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) that he was with the deceased the night before she was found dead in a gutter but denied that she was his lover.

“Competent witnesses, including the sister of the deceased and a vigilante member who was on night guard duty with him, volunteered statements to the police.

“The sister of the deceased stated that the suspect was her late sister’s boyfriend for four years, narrating further that her sister informed her on 5/02/2024 that she was going to spend a night in the suspect’s house.

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“The vigilante who was on night duty with the suspect stated that he saw him at midnight with the deceased along Christ Church Road while on foot patrol.

“Investigation is still ongoing; the body of the deceased has been sent to a forensic pathologist to ascertain the cause of death. The case will be charged to court pending the outcome of the investigation.”