•••Police Confirms Death, Opens Investigation
By Kamsi Anayo, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the death of a lady, Ms Ifeoma Onyekwelu and a banker in the state by yet to be identified hoodlums.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, Spokesman of the command in a statement said its operatives on Jan. 12 recovered a lifeless body of a lady found at Obiaja River Area, by Alor road and sought necessary information on the residents of the area to support the ongoing investigation of the incident.
“The Command operatives on 12/01/2025 recovered a lifeless body of a lady found at Obiaja River Area, by Alor road and sought necessary information on the residents of the area to support the ongoing investigation of the incident.
“Preliminary information reveals that the victim was abducted in Onitsha some weeks ago and was later identified by family members as the police team took the victim to the hospital and was later certified dead by a doctor.
“Further development shall be communicated, please,” Ikenga said.
It was learnt that the victim, Ms Ifeoma Onyekwelu, was kidnapped on Dec. 13, 2024 in the Onitsha Area of the state and held in captivity for days before the kidnappers later contacted her family to demand ransom.
It was learnt also that the kidnappers killed the banker said to be a staff member of the Polaris Bank despite collecting ransom from her family.
She was held in captivity for days before the abductors later contacted her family and demanded a ransom.
Sources said the family paid about N25 million as ransom to the kidnappers.
A relative, who asked not to be named, said that they were heartbroken that despite the ransom payment, the kidnappers still killed the victim.
“We paid in two instalments. But we discovered her corpse near Ideani Junction along the Nnobi-Alor Road,” he said.
Ideani Junction is in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The relatives said they suspected Ms Onyekwelu might have been killed because she identified one of the kidnappers.
