The Rivers State Police Command has paraded a 24-year-old Mr. Damian Okoligwe, a final year student of the University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) for killing his girlfriend, one Miss Justina Otuene, 20 year-old, and cut-off her breast and eyes for alleged ritual.
Newsmen gathered that the suspect (Damian), a Petrochemical Engineering student, invited the victim (girlfriend), a 300 level Biochemistry student of same university to his house along NTA Road, Ozuoba, Port Harcourt and allegedly committed the crime while she was asleep on Wednesday.
It was gathered that on his (suspect) way to dispose the remains of the victim, his movement became suspicious where the local security in the area, alerted the police and he was apprehended.
Parading Damian and other suspects arrested for different nefarious crimes in the state, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Emeka Nwonyi, said that operatives of Ozuoba Division received a complaint from a neighbour on suspicion of the smell of human blood fuming out of the suspect’s flat.
Nwonyi said that on getting to the house of the suspect, the operatives sighted a human blood wrapped in a large bag with blood dripping from it.
The commissioner of police explained that “on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at about 3.30p.m., operatives of Ozuoba Division received a complaint from a good Samaritan and neighbor (name withheld) of Road 20, back of NTA Ozuoba.
“The neighbor revealed that at about 2p.m., he inhaled a very bad odour when he went to his house where one Demain Okoligwe is also a fellow tenant and immediately rushed to the police station, where the DPO led detectives to the scene.
“On arrival, the door was forcefully opened, and a Ghana must-go bag containing a lifeless body was recovered back to the station. In a search of the fleeing suspect, who is the boyfriend of the decease, one Demain Okoligwe, 24yrs old, a 400 level petrochemical engineering student of Uniport and occupant of the house, was traced and arrested for an inquiry.”
The police boss explained further that “the lifeless and butchered body of Justina Otuene, 20yrs old, a biochemistry 300-level student at Uniport, was recovered and deposited at the mortuary.”
He said that preliminary investigation has commenced while the case has been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation.
While condoling with the family of the deceased victim, the police commissioner urged “young ladies to be cautious and careful about the person they involve with in any form of relationship.”
In an interview with journalists, the suspect (Damian) denied killing the victim, but admitted that he was about disposing her corpse when the police arrested him. He claimed that Justina died in her sleep in his house.
In another development, the police command also paraded one Dr. Enyinnaya Iheukwumere and one other for alleged child trafficking, stealing of four children from Benue and Rivers States.
Nwonyi revealed that in search of a four-year-old boy, Prosper James, who was abducted on September 9, 2023, from his house in Rumuokoro axis of Obio/Akpor LGA of the state, police operatives based on reliable information led to the arrest of one Mr. Ifesinachi Opara, which also led to the arrest of Iheukwumere (popularly known as Dr. Hagi).
The CP said on arrest of the Iheukwumere, the stolen four-year-old boy was recovered; also three children who were abducted from Benue State were also rescued from the child traffickers.
“Police detective’s Special Area Division undercover swung into action by means of intelligence led policing, one Ifesinachi Opara was arrested, which also led to the arrest of one Happiness, Enyinnaya Iheukwumere (aka Dr Hagi), to whom he sold the child.
“Further investigation also led to the recovery of three more children trafficked by Dr. Hagi from different locations of the country: three from Benue State, Benedict Kpaaka one year, seven month old; Godgift Julius four years-old, and one Philomina, six years-old, all rescued from different locations in Port Harcourt where they had been sold”.
He said that further investigation revealed that one Angel Shimeson, 25 years-old, from Makurdi still at large, is the supplier of the children to Dr. Hagi, while assuring the arrest of the culprit.