Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has ordered that 30-year-old Mr Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel, be charged to court for allegedly killing his 27-year-old girlfriend.
According to the command, Okpara allegedly killed Chinyere Rosemary Ugwu, hid her body in the toilet after a dispute over Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV.
They met on Facebook in 2023 and resumed their relationship after the deceased returned to Enugu in this year.
Giwa directed that the investigation be concluded, even as he urged members of the public, particularly young women to inform trusted people of their whereabouts.
Revealing the incident on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, said “Enugu State Police has arrested Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel (male, aged 30), of Olympic Layout, One-Day, Enugu, for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, identified as Chinyere, whose surname, age and address are yet to be established.
“The suspect was rescued from an angry mob and re-arrested by Police operatives attached to Awkunanaw Division on September 21, 2026, at about 6:30 p.m., following information that he had allegedly murdered his girlfriend.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect allegedly killed the victim on September 19, wrapped her remains in a nylon and locked them inside the toilet of his apartment.
“The offensive odour of the decomposing body subsequently attracted neighbours, who forced the door open and apprehended him before the arrival of the Police. The putrefying remains were evacuated to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while efforts are ongoing to trace and notify her relatives.
“During preliminary interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime, stating that the incident followed an argument between him and the deceased over allegations of who infected the other with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
“He further stated that, during the argument, he struck the deceased on the head with a pestle, resulting in her death, and subsequently wrapped and dumped her remains inside the toilet.”
Following recent discovery, the PPRO took to his Facebook page on Friday to explain in a video that the identity of the deceased as Chinyere Rosemary Ugwu, 27 years old graduate of Medical Laboratory Science from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), who recently concluded her NYSC.
Ndukwe noted that the parents and siblings had also been identified and interviewed by the Commissioner of Police, alongside the suspect, as the CP ll reassured the family that justice will be served in the case.
According to him, “the suspect revealed that the incident occurred around midnight on September 19, 2026, after he told Ugwu that he could cure people living with hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis.
“He said Ugwu then accused him of infecting her with HIV, leading to an argument and physical confrontation.”
According to him, the suspect accused his deceased girlfriend of hitting him with a pestle which he said he withdrew from her, used it on her which caused her to collapse.
Further, he used a machete to inflict injuries on her wrist, head and neck after she collapsed.
“Yeah, I chopped off the wrist,” he said when asked what he did with the machete.
He also admitted cutting her on the head and neck.
“I had to just close up the toilets and close the master’s bedroom and locked it up,” he said.
He said he wrapped her body in a black nylon bag and moved it to the toilet, where it remained until neighbours broke into the house after noticing an offensive odour.
“I was weeping, broken-hearted,” he said, adding that he had tried to communicate with a neighbour but was unable to get help.
Emmanuel also admitted damaging Ugwu’s Samsung phone because he feared it could be used to trace him.
“I had this fear that people could trace the phone,” he said.
He said her iPhone had already been switched off before the incident after she complained that it was faulty.
He said he had intended to marry her and had spoken with her mother before the incident.
Asked about his actions, Emmanuel said he was not fully aware of himself at the time and attributed this to possibly being under the influence of a substance.
“This thing is not actually what I did clearly or intentionally. I wasn’t fully aware of myself first,” he said.
He pleaded for forgiveness and mercy, saying he had been praying to God over the incident.
“I’ve been praying to God for forgiveness and, like, for the fact that this wasn’t actually clearly pure intentional act from my angle, and I’ve been pleading for the government to temper justice with mercy,” he said.
