Sad end of a Youth Corper: Survives Boko Haram attacks, gunned down in Onitsha

The desire of every young
undergraduate in Nigeria is
to put on the uniform of the National Youth
Service Corps (NYSC) and be addressed as a
‘corper’.
But fate was very cruel to 24-year-old Augusta
Chizoba Ndukwu of Umufu-Amaimo, Ikeduru
Local Government area of Imo State. She was
gruesomely murdered by unknown persons at Upper Iweka area of the commercial city of
Onitsha, Anambra State. It was quite sad that Augusta, who had survived a series of hostilities
and bombings by the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in Adamawa State, where she
observed her one-year mandatory national youth service, would painfully meet her untimely
death in a place she felt was her home.
Her voice was filled with joy when she spoke to her relatives in Owerri on phone, telling them
that she had finally come home. She told them that she was at the luxurious park in Upper
Iweka, informing them also that she would join them in Owerri the next morning. But she never
lived to see the faces of her loved ones, as she was gruesomely murdered by unknown persons
that fateful night. Daily Sun gathered that the deceased, a graduate of Banking and Finance
from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State, was found lying in the pool of her own blood at
the notorious fly-over at Upper Iweka on September 12.
According to a family member and the Vice Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Imo
State Council, Chief Chris Akaraonye, Chizoba left Yola, the capital of Adamawa State on
September 11 where she was having her NYSC primary assignment. She was travelling to
Onitsha en route Owerri but could not get to her final destination that time because it was
already late.
Chief Akaraonye further said the deceased, who had boarded a luxurious bus belonging to a
popular transport company (names withheld), called her relatives to inform them that she could
not make it again to Owerri. She also informed them that she had decided to pass the night at
the company’s motor park together with other passengers. However, according to him, the
following day, the family of the deceased, including her fiancé, waited in anxiety for the arrival
of Chizoba in Owerri but to no avail. They then started trying her mobile line, but it had been
switched off.
“At first, we thought she had a low battery. But after waiting for almost the whole day, we
realized it was not usual and we decided to make moves to know why somebody that spoke to
us at 10 pm last night could not be reached on phone or could not get to Owerri. In the course of
our doubts and fears, we started going through different police stations and Federal Road Safety
Commission (FRSC) formations along the Onitsha-Owerri Road to ascertain if she was involved
in a motor accident.
It was when we came to Onitsha that we found her corpse at the Onitsha General Mortuary with
gunshot wounds to her chest.” In the next morning, early passersby were shocked to their
marrow when they beheld the gory sight of a lady lying in the pool of her own blood at the
Upper Iweka axis with two travelling bags filled with children clothing and popcorn. One of the
eyewitnesses who pleaded anonymity said that the deceased was a victim of ritual killers.
She confirmed that she was found lying at the Upper Iweka flyover with gunshot wounds on her
chest and two travelling bags containing children clothes and popcorn beside her corpse. Though
the police swiftly said the deceased could be the victim of an armed robbery attack, they also
revealed that the bags were planted by the assailants to divert police investigations, stressing
that the police had commenced investigations into the circumstances surrounding the murder.
The Campaign for Democracy (CD), South East Zone has reacted to the incident, describing it as
a sin against God and humanity. The group called for proper investigations into the matter with
a view to unravelling the circumstances surrounding the senseless killing of the deceased. The
Chairman, South East Zone, Dede Uzor. A. Uzor condemned the act while calling on the
Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubarka to personally detail a crack team of
investigative police officers to look into the death of the corps member. Dede Uzor further
questioned the omission of the deceased’s name in the passengers’ manifest and the alleged
role that the transport company played when they returned the bags of the deceased to Yola
without contacting the police.
Also speaking on the incident, Chairman of Ndigbo Unity Forum, Mr. Augustine Chukwudum
condemned the act, describing it as the most wicked act and cruelty ever meted out to any
corps member in the history of the state. Mr. Chukwudum also said his group would mobilize to
make sure that criminal elements are sacked from the commercial city. He said the presence of
such criminals was hindering the development of commerce and industry in the city.
However, policemen attached to the Central Police Station, CPS, Onitsha led by the Divisional
Police Officer, DPO, Mr. Abdul Yusuf said they have arrested three persons in connection with
the death of the corps member, adding that they were still working to unravel the circumstances
surrounding the murder of the deceased. The police said, though, that it could be possible that
the girl was murdered at the park by some criminals who then took her body to the Upper Iweka
where they kept two bags containing clothes belonging to a boy of six years just to divert police
investigations.
According to the police, the deceased was not a victim of ritual killing. It was further gathered
that the driver of the luxury bus that brought the deceased from Yola to Onitsha on that fateful
night, the manager of the transport company and one other person whose identities were not
yet known as at press time have been arrested by the police.
They were picked up to allegedly help give insight to the death of the corps member as well as
explain how and why the management of the company swiftly returned the bags of the
deceased to Yola without informing the police. When contacted, the Anambra State Police Public
Relations Officer, Mr. Ralph Uzoigwe confirmed that three persons have been arrested by the
police to help them in the course of investigations.
He appealed to the general public to help the police with more information that could lead to the
arrest of the real killers of the corps member.