38-year-old Francis Chukwura, has been caught after trying to kill and bury his neighbour’s teenage son in his room.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Micheal Abattam, while parading the suspect at the command’s headquarters in Owerri, said the suspect, a native of Umuiem in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State, committed the offence at Ubommiri in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State on January 6, 2022.
According to the Police, the suspect, Chukwura, had dug a grave size pit before he lured his victim to his room pretending he wanted the victim to assist him(Chukwura) to install a WhatsApp application.
But only for Chukwura to use a machete on the 14-year-old boy, who wriggled his way out with the machete wounds.
On how Chukwura was arrested, the police said “The unsuspecting boy innocently entered with him into his room where he has already dug a grave-size pit. The boy, on seeing the grave-size pit in the room became suspicious and turned to run out, when Francis Chukwura picked up a machete and gave him several machete cuts on his head and body but, the young boy did not stop running and screaming for help. Luckily, passers-by who heard his scream alerted the police patrol team within the area.
“On arrival at the scene, the police operatives were able to disarm the assailant, rescue the victim with the assistance of some members of the community. He was rushed to a nearby government hospital while the apprehended suspect was taken to the station.
“On interrogation, the suspect is a dismissed staff of federal medical centre (FMC) and presently has no visible means of the livelihood, in his statement could not give a reasonable reason why he attempted to kill the victim and for what purpose. On the excavated grave-size pit he dug in his room, he said the wife was aware and it was done to hurt his landlord for giving him quit notice.
“Consequent upon the suspect’s claim, the wife, Ezinne Anyanwu ‘f’ aged 32 years, a native of Ikeduru in Ikeduru LGA of Imo State, was arrested. On interrogation, she claimed to have three children for the suspect out of wedlock.”
“That the landlord did not give them quit notice, but they are owing rent for some months. She claimed, he is fond of beating her saying that, “she is bad luck to him”. She further stated that, on the 5th of January, 2022, she came back in the night from her hawking business, surprised to see the already dug grave-size pit in their room.
“And when she asked him about it, he said, “he is looking for the dollars he buried in the ground”. That she became suspicious and afraid, that he might have planned to use one of her children for ritual hence, she held on to her three children without sleeping till the next day. In the morning of 06/01/2022, at about 0600 hours, he drove her and their children away.”
“She left for her brother’s house and narrated her ordeal to him. That it was in the evening of that day, she received a phone call that her husband has been arrested for attempting to kill a young boy for a money ritual.”
