A 30-year-old man has been arrested by the Nigeria Police in Enugu for allegedly killing his neighbour’s four-year-old daughter.
It was gathered that the man killed the little girl while she was sleeping.
Enugu Police Command spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement on Tuesday, August 27, said officers of the command’s Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad hastened to a compound on Orba Road in Nsukka Local Government Area, upon receiving a distress call alleging the murder of a four-year-old girl.
According to Ndukwe, the distress call was received on August 18.
”The lifeless body of the child was taken to the hospital, she was confirmed dead by a doctor and her remains have been deposited in the mortuary,” Ndukwe said.
He added that the police has also recovered the knife used by the suspect to commit the crime, quantities of weeds suspected to be hemp, and an object suspected to be a charm.
”Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect hails from Umuagu-Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State but resides in the compound with the child’s parents and others.
“He initially attempted to attack other neighbours before going into the victim’s apartment, where he saw the helpless child sleeping.
”He used the knife to slit her throat. The mother of the child had to run out to take the other children to safety before coming back for the victim.
“The suspect confessed to the crime, claiming that he acted alone but under the influence of hemp, methamphetamine (locally known as “Mkpuru-mmiri”), and Action Bitters alcoholic drink he consumed earlier,” the police spokesperson added.
Ndukwe said that the suspect also confessed to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity.
He also stated that in 2022 while residing in Jos, Plateau, he (the suspect) was involved in a cult clash during which he murdered a male member of the rival cult group.
Ndukwe assured that the suspect would be arraigned and prosecuted once investigations were concluded.
