A 30-year-old man, Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel, has reportedly confessed to killing his 27-year-old girlfriend, Ugwu Chinyere Rosemary, during an argument over their HIV status in Enugu State.
The suspect, who is currently in police custody, gave an account of the incident during an interview with the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, shared on the police spokesperson’s social media platforms.
The Enugu State Police Command had identified the deceased as a Medical Laboratory Science graduate of the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, who recently completed her National Youth Service Corps programme.
According to Emmanuel, the incident occurred around midnight on September 19, 2026, after he told Chinyere that he could cure people living with hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis.
He said Chinyere subsequently accused him of infecting her with HIV, leading to an argument that escalated into a physical confrontation.
“She held the pestle and started hitting me but I had to withdraw it from her. I hit her, which caused her to collapse,” he said.
Emmanuel said that after Chinyere collapsed, he used a machete to inflict injuries on her wrist, head and neck.
Asked what happened to the machete, he said: “Yeah, I chopped off the wrist,” adding that he also cut 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 added.
The suspect said he subsequently wrapped Chinyere’s body in a black nylon bag and moved it into the toilet, where it remained until neighbours reportedly broke into the apartment after noticing an offensive odour.
“I was weeping, broken-hearted,” he said, adding that he had attempted to communicate with a neighbour but could not get help.
Emmanuel also admitted damaging Chinyere’s Samsung phone, saying he feared it could be used to trace him.
“I had this fear that people could trace the phone,” he said.
He explained that her iPhone had already been switched off before the incident after she complained that it was faulty.
Recounting how their relationship began, Emmanuel said he met Chinyere on Facebook in 2023 and that they resumed their relationship after she returned to Enugu in 2026.
He said he had intended to marry her and had even spoken with her mother before the incident occurred.
Asked about his actions, Emmanuel said he was not fully conscious of what he was doing at the time, suggesting that he might have been 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.
The suspect appealed 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.
Meanwhile, the police said Chinyere’s parents and siblings had been identified and interviewed by the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa.
The command also confirmed that the suspect had been interviewed as part of the investigation.
According to the police, CP Giwa has directed that the investigation be concluded and that the suspect be charged to court.
