Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Imo State Police Command, Owerri are working assiduously to unravel the mysterious death of Miss Mary Oguchukwu of Ime Owerre in Isu Njaba Local Government Area of the state.
The late Mary, a hair stylist based in Onitsha, was reported to have gone to see off a male friend, one Christian Mmereukwu of Uburu Ekwe in the same council area who was alleged to have come to see her on August 21, 2009.
But she could not return to her house as she was found dead in a nearby bush with blood gushing out from her private part with her clothes torn.
Narrating the ugly incident to Daily Sun, the immediate younger brother to the late Mary, Mr Nnorom Oguchukwu, a former judiciary correspondent of Business Day, Abuja, said that his late sister had come back to the village from Onitsha hail and hearty to see him on learning that he was coming home from aboard.
According to him, the suspect, Mr Mmereukwu, had been severally warned by members of their family to steer clear from his late sister as he had continuously been proposing marriage to her.
“My sister, Miss Mary Oguchukwu was healthy. She came back from Onitsha, Anambra State. She returned home to see me when she heard that I was coming back from abroad, unfortunately, she was hacked to death on August 21, 2009.
According to my younger ones, who alerted me on what had happened, they said that on the fateful day of August 21, 2009 evening at about 4 p.m. to 6p.m. one man from Uburu Ekwe, Mr Christian Mmereukwu, came to our compound.
On that fateful day, my late sister was with my younger ones and according to them, Christian arrived at our compound and the first person that saw him was my aunty, Agnes Nnanna, who confronted him. She reminded him that he has been warned not to be visiting our compound, but he allegedly ignored her and went straight where my sister was staying.
They said that he stayed for a longer period and when he was about going home he beckoned on my sister Mary Oguchukwu to escort him after much pressure and my sister now followed him.
She escorted him not knowing that would be her last day on earth.
Explaining further, Mr Nnorom alleged that Christian dragged her inside the bush and raped her after which he hacked her to death.
He tore her brazier, left it somewhere, killed her and left her in her pool of blood. While I was at Enugu where I took my son for medical treatment I didn’t know that this thing was happening. I only heard a telephone call the following day that one Christian Mmereukwu had killed my elder sister.
Any misunderstanding with both families ?
Not at all; not to the best of my knowledge. We are good neighbours even where he had his maternal home. We were never in enmity with them. They visit us and we visit them. I don’t actually know what had gone wrong. I don’t really know why the man should come to our place, picked my sister to go and killed her.
Marriage proposal
I don’t think that my sister was bluffing him, but from his character she may have seen somebody, you cannot attest to his character. She may start distancing herself from such request. The said Christian has that tendency of fighting when he was growing up in his maternal home.
My sister’s profession
She is a hair dresser and she wanted to start her own business again in Onitsha, but she heard that I was coming back from abroad and she came back home to stay with me.
Appeal
The matter was first reported at the Umudugba Divisional Police station. It has now been transferred to State Police Command, Owerri. I believe that this is not a matter that should be swept under the carpet. My humble request is that my sister has been raped, and killed for nothing sake. I am calling on the police and international organizations on anti-rape to take over this matter and see to the last point of it. I want the security agencies to conduct proper investigations on this matter to see that justice is done in this matter. It will be the only way the soul of my sister will have rest. I am also appealing to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo and human rights organizations to come to my rescue. I am shedding tears in my heart.
our sourceslearnt that the suspect Mr Mmereukwu is now held at the state CID where he has been telling the police all he knows about the death of Mary. Wonders shall never end   |
