In what could best be described as bizarre, a 30-year-old man, simply identified as Chukwudi Nwode, has been arrested by the police in Ebonyi State for allegedly killing and beheading his 56-year-old father, Michael Nwode Awam, in Egwudinage Obegu village in Ebonyi Local Government Area of the state.
Chuwkudi was alleged to have come all the way from Owerri, Imo State where he lives and works as a mason, used a machete and pestle to sever his father’s head, allegedly drank his blood and cannibalized his neck.
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Chris Anyanwu, while parading the suspect before journalists in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, said the action had all the trappings of ritualism, noting that the suspect was still undergoing interrogation to ascertain his motive behind the killing.
According to him: “The Ebonyi State Police Command has arrested one Chukwudi, a 30-year-old man for beheading his father, Michael, a 56-year-old man of the same address. The motive behind this gruesome act was not ascertained yet as the suspect is still undergoing interrogation as to why he murdered his father in a cold blood.
“He was arrested on April 1, 2014 and before he was arrested, he was running and waving his machete which he used to cut his father’s head and threatened to kill anybody that moved close to him. Meanwhile, he was over powered and arrested but was caught eating the part of the severed head, after he ate-up the entire neck of the severed head.
“So, when you look at the exhibit head, you would see that he doesn’t even have the neck even though he cut the head on the base of the head you cannot find the neck from the head because he had eaten it up.
“I think it is not unconnected with ritual killing because it does appear he may have been asked to do such a thing but like I said he is undergoing interrogation if he yields, then we will be able to know clearly and why he did the act.
“However, the machete and the pestle with which he committed the crime were recovered from the scene of the incident and the headless body and severed head were deposited at the mortuary at Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki for autopsy.
“The suspect will been arraigned in court for prosecution”.
In his defence, the suspect admitted committing the act but blamed it on a strange voice, which directed him to go home and kill his father.
“I’m living at Owerri in Imo and I am a mason. A voice came to me, threatening me to go home and kill my father and I immediately rushed home and used machete to kill my father”, he said. Chuwkwudi also clarified that he never had any misunderstanding with his father before he killed him.
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