The Anambra State Government through the state Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare, has ordered a probe into the case of the alleged murder of one Mrs. Ogechukwu Okafor, who was allegedly killed by her husband, Mr Elijah.
It was gathered that the incident happened on August 13, 2024, but was reported to the ministry by the deceased family, following suspicious moves from the husband.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued on Wednesday by the media aide to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Chidimma Ikeanyionwu.
According to Ikeanyionwu, the culprit who is said to be a pastor, committed the alleged incident in Nimo community in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
The statement read in part, “The deceased uncle, Mr Samuel Onuorah, from Abatete community, who led the family member to lay the complaint at the ministry, alleged that he got a call from her late niece’s husband that her niece, Ogechukwu, fell from four-storey building and died.
“Mr Elijah Emeka Ibeabuchi, who hails from Nimo in Njikoka Local Government Area of the Anambra State, is the husband to the late Ogechukwu Okafor.
“Seeking for justice at the office of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, the uncle of the deceased, Mr Onuorah, noted that they discovered that their daughter did not fall as claimed by the husband, but was rather killed with a knife, stabbed on her neck and chest by Elijah.
“He further revealed that their doubts were cleared after they went to the mortuary where the said husband had deposited their daughter’s corpse and saw evidently that she didn’t fall from any storey building as claimed by the husband.”
Responding to the development, the commissioner, Ify Obinabo, called on all stakeholders, women groups, human rights activists, and social media users to support the Anambra State government in ensuring that the deceased gets justice.
Obinabo vows that the state government would probe the incident while urging everyone to lend their voice on the matter.
She added that she would also notify the state governor and the matter will be taken up so that the deceased will get justice.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
