Christopher Oji

Six days after his 35th birthday, Mr. Raphael Chinedu Igboanugo was stabbed to death in a bloody attack by hoodlums in his home in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State. A three-man squad armed with knives, clubs and other deadly weapons invaded his compound and descended ferociously on him for allegedly snatching the girlfriend of one of them.

Chinedu’s cry for mercy fell on deaf ears, as they wrestled him to the ground and inflicted deep knife cuts all over his body. A witness, the fiancée to the deceased, Miss Okeke Precious, who was with him during the incident, narrated how her soul-mate was attacked viciously by three men in his family house. The suspects, Odinaka, Chukwunweike (Alias Dada) and Okafor allegedly stormed Chinedu’s house at about 1am on February 28, 2019, and put off the generating set. On stepping out to find out what was wrong with the generator, Chinedu was accosted by the men, who attacked and stabbed him with knives.

On hearing the screaming of his fiancée and the increasing footsteps at the backyard of the house, Precious dashed out of the room, only to behold the men attacking her fiancée. She summoned courage to protect her lover but was rough-handled by the men, who jabbed her with a knife and injured her in the process. 

On the throes of death, Chinedu called her mother, Mrs. Susan Chinweude Igboanugo, in agony. His mother, a widow, said she jumped out of the bed on hearing the voice of her agonizing son and ran towards the scene. 

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“My son was groaning helplessly in a pool of blood. I shouted for help. I called on my neighbours to come to our rescue. The villagers rushed to my compound and caught one of the men, Chukwunweike as he tried to escape. My son was rushed to Iyienu Hospital but doctors confirmed him dead on arrival,” she lamented.

The distraught mother told Daily Sun that the death of her only son has left her devastated. With the death of her husband, Mr. Nweke, the poor widow said her late son, who was an electrician, became the breadwinner of the family. She pleaded with the police to carry out a thorough investigation on the matter and arrest the two fleeing suspects.

Our reporter gathered that the family reported the matter at Ogidi Police Station, and the case was further transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Awkuzu. The police have commenced an intensive manhunt for the fleeing suspects. It was also gathered that the lady in contention was invited for questioning by the police. She reportedly admitted having a relationship with one of the fleeing suspects, but denied any knowledge of plans to attack the victim.

Meanwhile, the law firm of R.E Ogbonna & Co, in a petition to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Dandaura Mustapha, called for the immediate transfer of the case to the Homicide Division. The lawyers said the transfer was necessary to ensure thorough investigation of the matter, with a view to bringing the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book.