By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has cracked a three-month-old murder case involving the death of a 33-year-old woman in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area, with the arrest of two suspects allegedly linked to the gruesome crime.
The breakthrough, according to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, followed months of painstaking intelligence gathering and digital forensic investigations by detectives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Awka.
The Police Spokesman said the suspects, identified as Thankgod Ikechukwu Ikwugwara, aged 26, and Makuochukwu Uzoigwe, aged 20, were arrested on June 6, 2026, over the alleged murder of the woman, whose body was discovered inside a culvert near the popular Jesus Bus Stop in Oraifite.
The Command explained that the investigation began on March 13, 2026, after the victim’s mother reported her missing at the Oraifite Divisional Police Headquarters.
However, barely twenty-four hours later, the lifeless body of an unidentified woman was found abandoned inside a culvert in the community before her father subsequently identified the corpse as that of his missing daughter.
The Police Spokesman said following the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department for detailed investigation, detectives reportedly deployed intelligence-led policing strategies and digital forensic tools which eventually led to the arrest of the two suspects after months of sustained efforts.
According to the police, the principal suspect, Thankgod Ikwugwara, confessed during interrogation that he had maintained a romantic relationship with the deceased for about three years, claiming he did not know she was legally married.
He allegedly told investigators that after a disagreement with the woman’s husband, he developed a strange illness that affected his eyesight and, out of bitterness and resentment, decided to eliminate her.
The suspect, the police said, further confessed that on March 13, he invited the deceased to his residence under the pretext that he needed assistance because of his health condition. On arrival, he and his alleged accomplice reportedly attacked her with a machete, leading to her death.
Police further disclosed that after committing the crime, the suspects allegedly transported the victim’s body and dumped it inside a culvert near Jesus Bus Stop, Oraifite, in the early hours of the following day in an attempt to conceal the offence.
The Command stated that both suspects have made confessional statements regarding their respective roles in the incident and will be arraigned before a competent court upon the conclusion of ongoing investigations.
In his reaction while commending the detectives for their resilience, professionalism and determination in unravelling the mystery behind the woman’s disappearance and death, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to ensuring that perpetrators of violent crimes are identified, apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law.
He also assured residents that the Police Command would continue to deploy intelligence-driven policing strategies and modern investigative techniques to guarantee justice for victims and enhance public safety across the state.
