The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed two separate gruesome murder incidents in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area involving the alleged beheading of family members by close relatives.
The incidents, which occurred on Friday, May 15, 2026, involved the alleged murder of a mother by her son and the killing of a woman and her child by the woman’s brother in separate communities within the local government area.
In the first incident, police operatives attached to the Igbo-Etiti Division reportedly responded to a distress call at about 3:10 p.m. alleging that a 40-year-old man, identified as Anikwe Onyebuchi, used a cutlass to behead his 60-year-old mother, Anikwe Felicia, at Nkporogwu Ukehe Community.
According to the police, the corpse and severed head of the deceased were recovered and taken to a hospital where she was confirmed dead before the remains were deposited in a mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
The suspect was reportedly rescued and rearrested from an angry mob that had severely assaulted him before he was taken to hospital for treatment. Police said a full-scale investigation into the incident has commenced.
In a separate incident reported the same day at about 3:18 p.m., operatives of the Command’s Distress Response Squad stationed at Ekwegbe Junction along the Ugwuagu/Opi/Nsukka Road responded to another distress call alleging that one Joshua Eze used a cutlass to sever the heads of his sister, Nwabuche Eze, and her daughter, Favour Eze, at Agu-Ekwegbe Community.
Police said the victims’ remains were recovered and taken to hospital where doctors confirmed them dead before the corpses were deposited in the mortuary.
The suspect was also reportedly rescued from an angry mob in critical condition and rushed to hospital, where he was later confirmed dead.
Preliminary investigations, according to the police, revealed that after allegedly killing the victims, the suspect buried their remains in a shallow grave alongside a dead white cock, suggesting possible ritual intentions.
Reacting to the incidents, the Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa condemned the killings, describing them as barbaric.
He directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department to commence comprehensive investigations into both incidents to determine the circumstances surrounding the attacks.
The police commissioner also urged residents to avoid jungle justice and instead report criminal suspects to law enforcement agencies for proper legal action.
