Court remands man who allegedly killed cousin days after she accused him of rape

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Nwangwu, a member of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, attacked the victim at a pharmacy shop, which resulted in her death.

A magistrate court in Enugu State has remanded a 51-year-old man for allegedly killing his cousin, who accused him of raping her and threatening to kill her and her family members.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that before Uloma Nwangwu was killed, she had escaped from a room in Ibeku-Opi in Nsukka LGA, where the defendant, Emeka Nwangwu, had locked her up.

The deceased was receiving treatment in a pharmacy shop in the university town of Nsukka when Mr Nwangwu allegedly attacked and “struck her head repeatedly on the floor”, which resulted in her death.

Arraignment

The defendant was arraigned before the magistrate court on Wednesday on a one-count charge of murder, Daniel Ndukwe, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said the arraignment of the defendant followed the conclusion of investigations by the State Criminal Investigation Department of the police.

He said the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Bitrus Giwa, ordered Mr Nwangwu’s prosecution following the incident and subsequent conclusion of investigations.

“The court ordered his remand and directed that the case file be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice, through the Directorate of Public Prosecution, for review and legal advice,” he said.

The spokesperson said the police commissioner sympathised once again with the family of the deceased for the loss.

The police chief urged them to find comfort in the fact that “justice is already in motion,” citing the defendant’s arraignment and subsequent remand in prison.

The killing

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Nwangwu, a member of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, allegedly attacked the victim at the pharmacy shop, which resulted in her death.

The incident happened on 1 December 2025, about three days after the 19-year-old reported at the Umabor Divisional Police Headquarters that Mr Nwangwu was allegedly raping her and threatening to kill her and all her family members.

This newspaper also detailed how negligence by the police and her family’s inaction led to the death of the victim.