The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a man accused of beheading his mother in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of the state, while another suspect allegedly involved in the gruesome killing of his sister and her child died after being attacked by an angry mob.
The police described the two separate incidents, which occurred on May 15, 2026, in different communities within the same council area, as barbaric and deeply disturbing.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said operatives attached to the Igbo-Etiti Division received a distress report at about 3:10 p.m. alleging that one Anikwe Onyebuchi, aged about 40, used a cutlass to kill and behead his 60-year-old mother, Felicia Anikwe, in Nkporogwu Ukehe Community.
According to the statement, police operatives recovered the severed head and remains of the deceased and took them to the hospital, where doctors confirmed her dead.
“The corpse and severed head of the deceased were recovered and taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed her dead, after which the remains were deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy,” the statement read.
Police said the suspect was initially attacked by an angry mob before operatives rescued and rearrested him for investigation.
“The suspect was subsequently rescued and rearrested from an angry mob that had severely beaten him and was taken to hospital for medical treatment. Full-scale investigation into the incident has commenced,” Ndukwe stated.
In a separate incident reported the same day at about 3:18 p.m., operatives attached to the Command’s Distress Response Squad responded to another distress call at Agu-Ekwegbe Community along the Ugwuagu/Opi/Nsukka Road.
The police alleged that one Joshua Eze used a cutlass to sever the heads of his sister, Nwabuche Eze, and her young daughter, Favour Eze.
“The remains of the deceased victims were recovered and taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed them dead, after which the corpses were deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy,” the police spokesperson added.
According to preliminary police findings, the suspect allegedly buried the victims in a shallow grave alongside a dead white cock, raising suspicions of possible ritual activity.
“Preliminary investigations further revealed that after allegedly murdering the victims, he buried their remains in a shallow grave alongside a dead white cock, suggesting possible ritual intentions,” the statement said.
The suspect was also reportedly attacked by a mob and later died in hospital.
“The suspect was also rescued from an angry mob in a critical condition and taken to the hospital, where doctors later confirmed him dead,” the command stated.
Reacting to the incidents, the Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, condemned the killings and directed the State Criminal Investigation Department to commence thorough investigations into both cases.
“He urges members of the public to refrain from taking laws into their hands by resorting to jungle justice, regardless of the provocation, and instead promptly report criminal suspects to the Police or other lawful authorities for appropriate action,” the statement added.
