From Nabob Ogbonna, Abakaliki
The Ebonyi State Police Command has arraigned a 30-year-old suspect by name Oforbuike Okoro, before a Magistrate Court 2 in Abakaliki the state capital.
The command had earlier this month arrested the suspect for allegedly murdering his mother, Mrs. Onyema Damian in Ukawu in Onicha local government area of the state.
In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Joshua Ukandu, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly committed the act following his mother’s refusal to bathe him which was part of a ritual believed to enrich himself.
Ukandu further noted that within March alone, the Command had also arraigned four other suspects, Onyebuchi Eze, Eze Nwuke, Oko Odinaka Emmanuel, and Uchenna Ota, for alleged involvement in separate murder cases.
He described the rising cases of murder which the command has witnessed recently as deeply troublesome.
He noted that the Commissioner of Police, Hope Urunwa Okafor, expressed concern over the rising cases of homicide in the state and urged residents to avoid taking the law into their own hands.
The Commissioner also appealed to the public to report grievances to security agencies.
Okafor stated that murder remains a capital offence and a grave crime against humanity and reaffirmed the Command’s open-door policy and assured residents of prompt attention to complaints.
But at the court, the defendant pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of murder rendered before him.
The Police Prosecutor, David Njoku, told the court that the offence was committed on March 19, 2026, at Ohatekwe, Ukawu, in Onicha local government area of the state. He alleged that the defendant stabbed his mother in the back with a knife, leading to her death.
His words: “The offence is punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State, 2009.
The defendant, who had no legal representation, told the court he could not fully explain his actions but admitted responsibility.
“I don’t know what really happened, but I can remember that I killed her over her refusal to bathe me,” the prosecutor said.
The Chief Magistrate, Chinedu Agama in his ruling ordered that the suspect be remanded in a correctional facility, noting that the court lacked jurisdiction to try the case.
He directed that the case file and exhibits be forwarded to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice and adjourned the matter to April 9.
