A bitter argument over who infected whom with HIV has allegedly ended in a gruesome murder in Enugu, with police arresting a 30-year-old man, Okpara Emmanuel, over the death of his girlfriend.
The victim, identified only as Chinyere, was allegedly killed inside Emmanuel’s apartment at Olympic Layout, One-Day area of Enugu.
Police said the shocking incident came to light after neighbours were alerted by the offensive odour of a decomposing body coming from the suspect’s apartment.
According to the Enugu State Police Command, Emmanuel allegedly killed Chinyere on September 19 and subsequently wrapped her remains in nylon before locking the body inside the toilet of his residence.
The police said the suspect was arrested on September 21 after information about the alleged murder reached the authorities.
The Command’s spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe, said preliminary investigation indicated that Emmanuel confessed to killing the woman following an argument over the source of an HIV infection.
The suspect allegedly told investigators that the quarrel became heated before he struck Chinyere on the head with a pestle, resulting in her death.
After allegedly discovering that she had died, he reportedly wrapped her body and concealed it inside the toilet.
But the alleged cover-up was blown apart when the stench from the decomposing remains became too strong, prompting neighbours to force their way into the apartment.
A video circulating online showed a group of men gathered around a man believed to be the suspect, while another person was seen moving through the apartment before opening a door.
Inside the room, what appeared to be the decomposing remains of a woman could be seen lying on the floor.
The man seen in the video also appeared to have blood stains around his nose, although the circumstances surrounding the injury could not be independently established.
The angry neighbours reportedly apprehended Emmanuel before he was rescued from the mob by police operatives attached to the Awkunanaw Division.
Ndukwe said the decomposing remains were evacuated to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while efforts were ongoing to identify and locate Chinyere’s relatives.
The police spokesman said Emmanuel remained in custody as detectives continued investigating the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mamman Giwa, has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department to take over the investigation and ensure that the suspect is arraigned after the completion of the probe.
The Command also urged members of the public, particularly young women, to exercise caution when visiting people and to keep trusted relatives or friends informed of their movements.
The case comes amid previous fatal domestic-violence incidents reported in Enugu. In a separate 2018 case, police investigated the alleged killing of a woman, Nkemakonam Onovo, after her lover allegedly struck her on the head during an argument.
In another Enugu case in 2023, police arrested a 21-year-old man over the alleged rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl whose decomposing remains were later found in a bush.
However, police have yet to establish a final cause of death in the latest incident, pending the outcome of the autopsy and further investigation.
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