The Enugu own Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a young man accused of murdering his mother, Mrs Charity Orji, and his sister, Miss Ukamaka Orji, and burying them in a shallow grave in their own backyard.
The suspect, Somadina Orji of Igboariam in Anambra State, is believed to have perpetrated the crime on Monday, December 4, 2023, at Umuagu Inyi in Enugu State’s Oji River Local Government Area.
The late Charity, a native of Inyi but married in Igboariam, Anambra State, had been living in her family residence with her children for some years, according to multiple reports and videos of the occurrence.
Unfortunately, her son, who supposedly deals in strong narcotics and has been feuding with her for some time, murdered her.
Mr Ben Obi, a community leader in Inyi, told journalists that the difficulties began weeks ago when the suspect had a disagreement with the suspect’s younger brother.
He went on to say that the suspect had planned to beat him (the younger brother) before his mother intervened and reported the event to the kingsmen, requesting them to come and chase him out of the house since he wanted to kill the younger brother.
Meanwhile, the younger sister had been absent for two weeks before he encountered the mother’s difficulty.
However, the village leader went on to explain that the mother went to Akpugoeze for a condolence visit, and when she returned in the afternoon, her son, Somadina, murdered her and buried her in a small grave in their garden.
He claimed that when the younger brother returned to look for the mother, he became suspicious and raised an alarm.
“When the villagers gathered at the compound upon interrogation, Somadina confessed that he had killed the mother.”
He also admitted to killing his younger sister a few weeks ago. Barrister Ben further stated that when the police were summoned, the mother and sister’s bones were exhumed and put at the mortuary, and the suspect was apprehended.
Ben further said that Charity sold fufu to feed her family until her death.
He urged the government to come to their aid in order to avert similar problems in the future.
Mr. Ejike Tasie, the coordinating president general in Oji River, also condemned the act, saying the usage of hard drugs in the Inyi Community is concerning, and he urged the anti-drug agency in Oji River to assist them in controlling the use of these substances in their various communities in the local government.
Confirming the occurrence The Command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, told the PUNCH on Sunday that the suspect had been apprehended and that an investigation was still continuing.
Ndukwe stated that he will be arraigned in court as soon as the investigation was completed.
“The suspect has been arrested, and the case is under investigation. The suspect would be prosecuted once investigations are concluded.”