The Anambra State Police Command has verified the arrest of Somtochukwu Nwafor, a 24-year-old woman, for the gruesome murder and dismemberment of a pregnant nurse in Ogbunike, Oyi Local Government Area.
The arrest, conducted on July 25, 2025, was made possible by residents of the Umueri village in the Ogbunike community after the victim’s mangled remains were discovered thrown in a soakaway pit days earlier, causing popular fury and dread.
According to SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer, in a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday, the suspect admitted to being the girlfriend of the lead suspect, Chiemerie Elobisi, who is now on the run.
She also acknowledged being brought in after the incident to clean up the blood, and she went on to say that the body parts were sold to native healers who practice rituals.
The statement said, “The Anambra State Police Command, leveraging the assistance of the Umueri village and Ogbunike community members, on 25th July 2025 arrested one female suspect, Somtochukwu Nwafor, aged 24 years. The arrest is in connection with the gruesome murder of a pregnant nurse, whose mutilated body was recently discovered in a soakaway pit at Ogbunike, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being the girlfriend of the prime suspect, one Chiemerie Obika Elobisi from the same village but currently at large. She stated that she was called by the suspect to clean the blood stains after the victim was murdered. She further revealed how they sell the body parts to different evil native doctors in the area.
“Also, preliminary information shows that the victim, a trained nurse, was lured by the murderer to his house under the guise of seeking medication.
“Given the information from the suspect, operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), in the early hours of 29th July 2025, burst a shrine of an identified native doctor, Nwafor Chibunna Ofornwatadile from Itima Amawa Village, Ogbunike, and recovered suspected human body parts, concealed in cellophane (nylon) bags.
“However, the Command has launched a manhunt for the prime suspect, along with the suspected receivers and collaborators.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, described the act as “inhumane, criminal, and an affront to public morality and the sanctity of life,” assuring the public that a full investigation is ongoing. A manhunt has been launched for Elobisi and other accomplices involved in the killing and trafficking of human parts.
The Anambra police boss urged anyone with useful information to come forward, assuring that informants’ identities would be fully protected.
