Man kills neighbour’s four-year-old daughter during sleep

Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested a 30-year-old man for the alleged murder of his neighbour’s four-year-old daughter while she was sleeping.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

Ndukwe stated: “On August 18, police operatives serving in the command’s Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad hastened to a compound on Orba Road in Nsukka Local Government Area, upon receiving a distress call alleging the murder of a four-year-old girl.

“The lifeless body of the child was taken to the hospital, she was confirmed dead by a doctor and her remains have been deposited in the mortuary.”

The police spokesperson said the knife used by the suspect to kill his neighbour’s daughter, quantities of weeds suspected to be hemp, and an object suspected to be a charm were recovered from him.

He added: “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect hails from Umuagu-Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State but resides in the compound with the child’s parents and others.

“He initially attempted to attack other neighbours before going into the victim’s apartment, where he saw the helpless child sleeping.

“He used the knife to slit her throat. The mother of the child had run out to take the other children to safety before coming back for the victim.

“The suspect confessed to the crime, claiming that he acted alone but under the influence of hemp, methamphetamine (locally known as Mkpuru-mmiri), and Action Bitters alcoholic drink he consumed earlier.”

Ndukwe said the suspect also confessed to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity and that in 2022 while residing in Jos, the Plateau State capital, he was involved in a cult clash during which he murdered a male member of the rival cult group.

He noted that the suspect would be arraigned and prosecuted upon the conclusion of investigations.