Anambra state police command arrested 15 crime-culprits from across the state threatening the peace of the society. W threAn undergraduate student hacked stepmother to death over refusal to grant 1m as school fee.
10 vehicles snatched at a gun point from the owners were also recovered and those recovered at the crime scene including other exhibits.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, who paraded the culprits disclosed that some of the suspect paraded involved in the killing of one staff of Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC)at Isuaniocha, in Awka North Local Government Area of the state.
Among the suspects is twenty-year-old admission seeker, Ekenedilichukwu Okeke, who , in a bid to pay his school fees according to him, contracted his friends to hack his 54-year-old step mother to death.
During the interrogation after being apprehended, Ekenedilichukwu confessed he truly murderd his stepmother over her refusal to assist him with a million naira to pay his school fee.
Okeke on Friday, Sept. 2022, with his gang stormed Mrs. Theresa Okeke’s house at No. 4 Umuziocha, Awka and killed her in an attempt to make 1m naira transfer from her bank account.
Speaking to Daily Trust on why he killed his stepmother, Okeke said the woman refused to give him N1m to pay his school fees.
He said, “I had problem with my stepmother and I wanted her to give me N1m, but she said no. After sometime, I pleaded with her and she agreed to give me. I wanted her to give me the money to pay my school fees.
“I had to arrange for some of my friends to come and help me to extract the money from her. They came at night tied her hands and leg to force her to give me the money, but in the process, she stopped talking. Before we knew it, she was dead.”
One of the culprits, Peter Jideofor, narrated that Okeke only called him to help him get some money from his stepmother.
In his statement: “Okeke said he was having issues with his stepmother and that I should help him to settle the problem and extract N1m from her to enable him pay his school fees in the University. I actually know him on the street because I do music and he also does music.
“I did not want to do it, but he was pleading that I should help him out and I agreed to help him. When we got to his stepmother’s house at about 2am, one of the guys tied her hands and legs and when she wanted to shout, I personally covered her mouth and called the other one to bring something to tie her mouth.
“After tying her mouth, she stopped breathing and we had to quickly left because we did not come to kill her.
“When we were leaving, we told Okeke to be checking her every 30 minutes and inform us if she had recovered.
“Later in the morning, he called us that the woman was dead and we were shocked. Some of us ran away but I did not run. I only stayed inside room till they arrested me,” he said.
According to him, they ended up getting nothing from her because her ATM pin is unknown.
He claimed he regretted partaking in such heinous act , that he had vow never to kill in his life .
During the parading of the 15 suspects terrorising the state, CP Echeng said the security operatives had arrested the killers of one Mrs. Theresa Okeke, an Accountant with National Population Commission, Awka.
The CP said Okeke Initially said Armed robbers attacked the deceased house but after a thourough investigation, Oko confessed to killing of his step mother and mentioned other culprits.
In CP ‘s statement :“Detectives from State CID Awka swiftly mobilised in search of the accomplices which led to the arrest of three additional suspects, namely; Peter Jideofor ‘m’ a.k.a Rider, aged 23yrs, Chukwuemeka Christopher ‘m’ aged 29yrs and Chisom Emmanuel Dike, ‘m’ 22yrs. They have all confessed to the crime and disclosed that it was the deceased’s stepson.
“Ekenedilichukwu Okeke ‘m’ who contracted them to come and kill the woman to enable them transfer the sum of N1m from her account, having known her phone password. The suspects will soon be charged.”
However, the CP urged law-abiding citizens to continue to go about their lawful businesses and give prompt information about criminal activities within their domains to the law enforcement agencies.
