Gunmen have killed a retired judge of the Delta State High Court, Ifeoma Okogwu.
The incident happened on 23 November, PREMIUM TIMES gathered.
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This newspaper further learnt that the body of the retired judge was discovered the same day at her residence, which is behind The Pointer Newspapers’ office in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
How it happened
Sources said the gunmen who killed Mrs Okogwu initially bound her legs, hands, and ransacked the entire house before killing her.
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Ogbueshi Okogwu, a younger brother to Mrs Okogwu, told the Guardian Newspaper, that the family believes the disappearance of a security guard attached to the retired judge was a red flag.
“A major red flag is the disappearance of the night security guard. Another guard claimed he met the gate wide open when he arrived in the morning. He said he simply sat there. Sat there doing what? I do not know. I do not understand this situation at all,” Mr Okogwu said, suggesting a possible complicity in the attack.
Ogbueshi added that the family had already provided the police with the identity and details of the private security company that deployed the guards.
“Police have detained one of the guards and summoned the owner of the security outfit to report to the station. It remains unclear whether the proprietor has complied,” he said.
“Only God knows what truly happened. We will not know anything concrete until the police complete their investigations.”
Police speak
The police in Delta State have confirmed the killing of the retired judge.
The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement which PREMIUM TIMES obtained on Sunday.
Mr Edafe, a superintendent of police, said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of A Division, Asaba, received a complaint from a brother of the slain retired judge on 24 November.
He said the victim’s brother visited her residence only to discover her body in the sitting room with her hands, legs, and mouth tied.
“Upon receipt of the complaint, the DPO swiftly led men to the residence of the late retired judge, where the corpse was evacuated and taken to the mortuary for autopsy,” he said.
The police spokesperson said a suspect, Lucky Matthew, has been arrested, while the principal suspect, Godwin Vanem, is at large.
Mr Edafe said preliminary investigation revealed that Mr Vanem was suspected of having killed the retired judge and fled the apartment.
He added that the police in the state have launched a manhunt for the fleeing suspect.
The spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olufemi Abaniwonda, has directed that the case be transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department for investigation.
Mr Abaniwonda, he said, has consoled the family of the deceased and assured them of justice.
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Insecurity in Delta
There is growing insecurity in Delta State in recent times, with frequent attacks by armed persons in the south-southern state.
Like in other parts of Nigeria, many persons have been killed, and others kidnapped for ransom across Delta State.
In July this year, for instance, gunmen abducted a government contractor, Lucky Ugbo, in Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government of Delta State.
