By Deborah Nnamdi
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 24-year-old Somtochukwu Nwafor in connection with the brutal murder and dismemberment of a pregnant nurse in Ogbunike, Oyi Local Government Area.
The arrest was made on July 25, 2025, with the help of residents of Umueri village, after the victim’s mutilated body was found dumped in a soakaway pit — a discovery that triggered fear and outrage in the community.
Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement released on Wednesday via Facebook, said Nwafor confessed to being the girlfriend of the prime suspect, Chiemerie Obika Elobisi, who is currently on the run. She admitted she was called in after the killing to clean up the scene and revealed that the victim’s body parts were sold to native doctors for ritual purposes.
Preliminary investigation showed the victim, a trained nurse, was lured to Elobisi’s home under the pretense of needing medical care, where she was murdered.
Based on Nwafor’s confession, detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) raided a shrine on July 29 belonging to one Nwafor Chibunna Ofornwatadile in Itima Amawa Village, Ogbunike. There, they recovered suspected human body parts hidden in nylon bags.
A manhunt has been launched for Elobisi and other suspected buyers and accomplices involved in the killing and trafficking of human parts.
Condemning the act, Commissioner of Police CP Ikioye Orutugu described it as “inhumane, criminal, and a violation of public morality and the sanctity of life.” He assured the public that the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with useful information to come forward, with a promise that all informants will be protected.
