- UNN missing female student, Favour Okenyi found dead, vital parts missing
- Findings showed there is increasing rate of ritual-related killings of female varsity students in Nigeria
- Experts express fear, say youths unbridled quest for materialism should be blamed
In recent time, there is increasing incidents of killing of female university students by suspected ritualists. This ugly trend has been worrisome as it has also instilled much fear among female folks in the university communities around the country.
On Saturday, July 8, 2024 a female student of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN was found dead and her corpse dumped inside a gutter near the institution.
It was reported that some of her vital parts were missing, even as her corpse has been decomposing at the time it was found.
WITHIN NIGERIA source revealed that the victim, Favour Okenyi from Ekwegbe community in Igbo-Etiti LGA of Enugu state who was first year student of the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences of the university, identified as Favour, was found inside a gutter beside the stadium, located inside the campus, close to Eni Njoku Hostel, occupied by male students.
According to a business owner inside the stadium “She was found dead on Friday”.
Revealing further, the source said that “the corpse was already decomposing. Her remains were evacuated to the UNN Medical Centre in the morning.”
Some sources alleged that the corpse was covered by flood debris, implying that the student might have been washed away by flood.
However, a student of the Faculty of Physical Science of the university, who identified himself as Paul, said, “She must have been killed by Yahoo Boys who are rampaging Nsukka now.
“These Yahoo Boys are exploiting our female students at Nsukka because these boys have too much money. They might have killed her, and used the gutter to cover their nefarious act. Our female students should learn that these boys driving exotic vehicles are looking for them for money rituals.”
A pastor, James Itodo, said, “This is the end time we are talking about. This first year student might have fallen the victim of these boys who make money at all cost. I wouldn’t know what killed her, but where her corpse was found doesn’t convince me that flood caused her death. Her killers might have dumped her there as a cover-up.”
Confirming the development, the spokesperson of the university, Okwun Omeaku, in a statement on Sunday, said the institution’s management was shocked by the discovery of the student’s body.
“The university administration is deeply saddened by the loss of our student and extends heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased for the tragic death of such a promising young student,” Mr Omeaku said.
The spokesperson said the university management was collaborating with security agencies and the family of the deceased student to uncover the circumstances surrounding her death.
He said uncovering the circumstances behind the student’s death would help the university to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the institution.
“We implore anyone in possession of useful information that could aid in the investigation to kindly reach out to the university administration,” he said.
The UNN incident was coming barely a month after a female student of Delta state university was also butchered to death by suspected ritual killers.
Revealing a damning incident of the alleged killing, Edo State Police Command revealed a twist in its investigation into the disappearance of a 200-level Delta Varsity student, Faith Omodon, 19, saying she has been murdered and not spotted in her lover’s residence as findings earlier indicated.
At the initial stage of police search, a lady who identified herself as a neighbour to Faith’s boyfriend in Agbor, Delta State told investigators that “Faith came to our compound in Agbor when the boyfriend was not in.
“She said the boy told her to come and check something in the compound, after some time she left. I didn’t know that they were looking for her in Edo”.
The command Public Relations Officer SP Chidi Nwabuzor simply responded then, that “we thank God that so far there are indications that she is alive.”
The Commissioner of police, Edo State CP Funsho Adegboye on later on unfolded a saddening twist in the search when he paraded two suspects Godspower Chukwuedo, 23 and Christopher Nwachukwu, 22 alleged to have gruesomely murdered the undergraduate.
The police boss further explained that investigators are working on how and where to recover her corpse.
CP Adegboye also paraded one Chukwuyem Jonah, 26 a native doctor said to have sent the two suspects to kidnap Faith Omodon for ransom.
They were paraded along with 11 others at the state police Command headquarters in Benin City.
“The suspects made statements to the Police and confessed that they were sent by one Chukwuyem Jonah, 26 years a native doctor who lives in Iru community, near Abudu, Edo State to go after Faith Omodon in the farm and kidnap her to enable them collect ransom from her rich father, with the promise of paying them #30,000.00.
“After a preliminary investigation was conducted by the Abudu Division, the case was transferred to State CID, Benin.
“The State CID operatives while collaborating with the Vigilantes group, arrested two suspects, Godspower Chukwuedo, 23 years and Christopher Nwachukwu, 22 years.
“The suspects further confessed that they were resisted by Faith Omodon and in the process, they strangulated her to death”, CP Funsho Adegboye narrated.
CP Adegboye added that the confessional statements of the two suspects led to the arrest of the native doctor at Iru community, on May 7, 2024.
Speaking with journalists, Godspower Chukwuedo and Christopher Nwachukwu, admitted the crime.
The duo who said they didn’t know the girl before, as it was the native doctor who took them to the farm after assuring them that she would come home during Easter period.
Christopher Nwachukwu who claimed to be a farmer based in Agbor, disclosed that he was contracted by Godspower Chukwuedo, a bricklayer based in Benin City for the job.
Godspower Chukwuedo confessed that after strangling their victim, they left her unconscious with the native doctor in the farm, but made away with her mobile phone and the motorcycle.
On his part, the ‘native doctor’, Chukwuyem Jonah, denied knowing the other suspects let alone having anything to do with the attempted kidnap and murder of Faith Omodon.
Edward Omodon, father of the deceased, described the killing as unfortunate. He said he knew the native doctor very well, as they live together in the same locality.
“I want justice. I want them to pay for the killing of my daughter. I don’t want my daughter to die like that without any action from the government”, he appealed.
Meanwhile, CP Adegboye has cautioned parents to always be weary of where they send their wards and children to.
Recall also that in October 2023, a 300 level Biological Chemistry student at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Otuene Justina Nkang, who was declared missing four days before has was found dead in Port Harcourt.
Nkang, who was said to be doing her industrial training at a private hospital in Port Harcourt, was declared missing after leaving her place of work.
Sources close to the victim said she left her place of primary responsibility to visit her boyfriend at a highbrow area in Port Harcourt.
The source said that the student was murdered by the suspected boyfriend and had her breast, eyes and other body parts mutilated.
A source said the suspect, who kept the mutilated corpse of the victim with him in his apartment for three days, was apprehended by the vigilante group located in the area as he attempted to dispose of the decomposing corpse in a refuse dump.
“Otuene Justina Nkang was reported to be missing for four days ago. She was a 300 level student of Biological Chemistry at Uniport but unfortunately, she was killed by her boyfriend who tried disposing of her body this evening but was caught. The suspect has been handed over to the police,” the source stated.
Confirming the incident then, the Rivers State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe Koko, said in the Police/Media WhatsApp platform that the Commissioner of Police, Policarp Emeka Nwaonyi, would address the media on the matter.
Furthermore, in the same year a 300-level student of Benue State University (BSU), Erekaa Naomi Dooshima, was found dead few days after she was declared missing.
It was gathered that Ukan Kurugh, the Benue activist, raised the alarm over the whereabouts of the student.
In a post on his verified Facebook page, Kurugh said her identity card, phone, and blood-stained clothes were found in Markudi, the state capital.
I See Myself As Beautiful And Well Dressed, I Don’t Lo0:00 / 1:07
“Missing person: A girl by name is Erekaa Naomi Dooshima with her Facebook user name “Affection Erikz” is missing, her clothes stained with blood, her phone, identity card were found around Rahama clinic opposite medical school Makurdi. She is a 300-level mass communication student at the Benue State University,” he wrote.
“If anybody has any useful information about her, please contact the nearest police station or the university authority for immediate action.”
In a follow-up post, the activist said the student had been found dead.
Kurugh said the lady’s corpse was found in a fenced land in Markudi and was exhumed by police operatives.
“The corpse of this young lady by name Erekaa Naomi Dooshima I made a post about her missing yesterday has been found in a fenced land behind Bolek Filling State after medical school and is currently been exhumed by men of the Nigeria Police Force Makurdi Benue state,” he added.
The state police spokesperson, Sewuese Anene confirmed the development.
Anene, however, said there is an ongoing investigation to get more details on the incident.
“Yes, we recovered a lady’s corpse yesterday But I don’t have much details about her at the moment,” she said.
Reactions of Nigerians
In any case, reacting to the ugly trend, Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Odo, told WITHIN NIGERIA that an unbridled quest for material wealth could be traced to this upsurge in this ritual killings.
Dr. odo who is immediate past Leader of seventeen Local council legislative leaders in Enugu state described the situation as an unfortunate.
“ I agree with you that there is an alarming increase in ritual killings across the country and the worst hit are the university community. The victims of most of this ritual killings are the female students.
“The cause of this ugly development is not far-fetched. It is the greed and unguarded desires to make impress the society with materials things that is the root cause of why someone will resort to ritual killings and they will always find easy prey amongst the female students who also always follow guys who drive flashy cars and afford to pay for big hotels.
“Furthermore, the poverty and hardship bedeviling the country has also led many to seek survival even through illegitimate means.”
Advising the youths, Odo stressed that the youths should be focused.
“My advice for the Youths especially our female students in the universities is to focus on the reasons why their parents sent them to school and stay away from lavish lifestyles that can lead to their death.
“Also, an untamed desire will always lead to premium tears, the female students should be contented with what their parents can provide.”
Also reacting to the ugly trend, Evangelist Gideon Ogboso said that erosion of our traditional values and huge appetite for wealth are immediate cause of the ritual-related killing of female varsity students in the country.
Evangelist Ogboso who is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Child Royal Missionaries, an Enugu-based child rights think tank, stated that “the rise of ritual killing among the youths against our girls is as a result of our insensitive responds and praise to these young boys who flaunt wealth without reasonable means of income.
“Our traditional institutions keep honouring these instant money boys with revered titles to the chagrin and admiration of other youths.
“Boys are now into extensive ritual practice in quest for wealth while government on their side is doing absolutely nothing to check mate this ugly development. This abnormality has to be combated to eradication.”
Explaining further, he said that “government has to mandate the law enforcement to arrest and prosecute this people and make them face the music.
“Our tradition institution has to be held accountable to the kind of people they’re making chiefs in our communities.
“Finally, there should be serious campaign to sensitized our people on the dangers of ritual killings and money rituals.”