Raped to death

ν How 8 men took turns on an 18- year-old girl
From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha
Police detectives in Obosi, Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State are now battling to unravel the circumstances in which Chekwube Mbaka, an 18-year-old girl left her father’s house to buy N100 garri to serve as dinner for her family but never returned alive.
The victim was allegedly gang-raped by eight coffin makers in an uncompleted building at Odume-layout in Obosi, Idemili North council area of Anambra State.
Chekwube, whose family hails from Ogboji community in Ezzagu, Ishielu council area of Anambra State, met her untimely death on the fateful day when she was on her way back from where she had gone to buy garri for the family.
Though policemen attached to Obosi Police Division have already arrested two of the suspects in their effort to untie the knot surrounding the gruesome murder of the girl, her family has remained in pains, calling for justice.
Narrating how the incident happened, father of the deceased, Mr. Mbaka told Saturday Sun how he sent his daughter out on the fateful day after he came back home and discovered that the house was empty and there was no food for the entire family to eat.
He said: “When I came back that evening from work, I noticed there was no food for the family, I managed to bring out N100 and gave to Chekwube to buy garri for us to survive that night, I never knew that evil was lurking around and that enemies of God are also planning on how to eliminate my daughter. She left without any premonition of evil but when we waited for her for too long, we became apprehensive that she was wasting time, initially, I was angry that she had not returned but when it got out of hand, I noticed all was not well with Chekwube”
He further disclosed that before the deceased left for the errand, her friend, a 20-year-old boy simply identified as Skido (not real name) had visited the family and volunteered to escort Chekwube. Since they were best of friends and known to the family of the deceased, they were allowed to go but the boy ran home weeping to report that over eight young men accosted them on their way home and forcefully took away Chekwube and disappeared into thin air.
According to the family, when Skido alerted them that their daughter was forcefully dragged away by the coffin makers to an unknown place, they immediately raised the alarm and shortly after that, they discovered the lifeless body of Chekwube, naked in an uncompleted building.
It was at that point that the family and sympathizers noticed that the deceased was gang-raped by the eight coffin makers now at large and in the process of preventing her from shouting to attract passersby, they held her by the throat leading to her death.
Her father further said:  “We noticed fingerprints on her throat, that may be because they held her down to prevent her from shouting to attract passersby because the incident took place around 9pm, people were still passing. They defiled my daughter and killed her in the same place. We have alerted the police but we can’t stop crying for Chekwube, an intelligent and obedient girl who never gave anybody headache not even in the school nor at home”
When asked if he was suspecting anybody, Mr. Mbaka said he is suspecting the artisans living close to his house, adding that they might have conspired and masterminded the barbaric act, following the alleged regular sexual demands they had made to his daughter in the past.
However, the case has been transferred to the Divisional Crime Bureau, DCB of Obosi Police Division where our reporter gathered that Odume Obosi had recorded four violent rape cases leading to death, all within a space of three months.
Meanwhile, the Divisional Police Officer of Obosi Division, CSP Dimale J.O confirmed the incident and disclosed that two persons including one of the coffin makers had been arrested, adding that efforts were being made to arrest the fleeing seven coffin makers.