Enugu Police Arrest Man for Allegedly Killing Mother; Another Suspect Dies After Beheading Sister, Child
The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a man identified as Anikwe Onyebuchi, 40, for allegedly murdering his mother, Anikwe Felicia, 60, with a cutlass at Nkporogwu Ukehe Community in the Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of the state.
Onyebuchi was apprehended at about 3:10 p.m. on May 15 following a swift response by police operatives attached to the Igbo-Etiti Division.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, made this known in a statement dated May 16, 2026.
Ndukwe disclosed that the corpse and severed head of the deceased were recovered and taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed her dead. Her remains have since been deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
“The suspect was subsequently rescued and rearrested from an angry mob that had severely beaten him and was taken to the hospital for medical treatment. A full-scale investigation into the incident has commenced,” the spokesperson said.
In a separate incident reported the same day at about 3:18 p.m., operatives of the Command’s Distress Response Squad stationed at Ekwegbe Junction, along the Ugwuagu/Opi/Nsukka Road, responded to a distress call regarding another violent attack. It was alleged that a man identified as Joshua Eze had similarly used a cutlass to sever the heads of his sister, Nwabuche Eze, and her young daughter, Favour Eze, at the Agu-Ekwegbe Community in Igbo-Etiti LGA.
Ndukwe revealed that the remains of the victims were also recovered and taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed them dead, after which the corpses were deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
Joshua was rescued from an angry mob in critical condition and rushed to the hospital, where doctors later confirmed him dead.
While noting that the suspect’s corpse had been deposited in the mortuary, Ndukwe disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed he had buried the victims’ remains in a shallow grave alongside a dead white cock — a finding the spokesperson said suggests possible ritual motives.
Commenting on the tragedies, the Enugu Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, condemned the barbaric acts and directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to immediately commence a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding both incidents and ensure that all necessary legal actions are taken.
Giwa urged members of the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands through acts of jungle justice, regardless of the provocation, and instead promptly report criminal suspects to thepolice or other lawful authorities.
