Two men in Eziama Obiato community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State have told the officers of the state police command how they planted the head of an unidentified man in the house of their kinsman in order to frame him up.
Onumajuru Godwin, 61 years old and Agubosim Chukwuemeka, 41, told the police that they severed the head of the unidentified man and hid it in a water tank (GP Tank) in the compound of their kinsman, Emmanuel Onuwa.
According to the suspects, they and Onuwa had been involved in a running battle over a land dispute.
In order to have unhindered access into the disputed land, they decided to cut off the head of the unidentified man at Njaba River along Onitsha Road, thereby necessitating the setting-up of Emmanuel Onuwa, in order to ensure that he is jailed.
In a statement issued on behalf of the commissioner of police, the spokesman of the state police command, Orlando Ikeokwu disclosed that the suspects had on April 4, 2020, reported to the police that Onuwa had murdered the unidentified man.
He disclosed that as a result of that report, Emmanuel Onuwa and some members of his family were arrested as the decomposing head of the unidentified man was recovered from the tank.
The statement reads, “On the 4/5/2020, one Onumajuru Godwin 61 years old and Agubosim Chukwuemeka 41 years old, both of Eziama Obiato in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State reported at the Divisional Police Headquarters that one Emmanuel Onuwa Obator, Mbaitoli LGA, murdered an unidentified person, and hid the head in a water tank (GP Tank) in his compound. As a result of this, Emmanuel Onuwa and his children were arrested and a decomposing human head recovered from the water tank in his compound.
“However, the said Emmanuel Onuwa, in a bid to prove his innocence through his lawyer, wrote a petition to the commissioner of police requesting that the case should be re-investigated.
“Sequel to the petition, the Commissioner of Police, CP Isaac O. Akinmoyede ordered a revisit of the matter. However on 15/8/2020 at about 2300hrs, upon discreet and painstaking investigation, arrested Onumajuru Godwin ‘M’ 61 years old and Agubosim Chukwuemeka ‘M’ 41 years old, for planting the human head in the water tank.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that both parties have been involved in a running battle over a land dispute, thus necessitating the setting-up/of allegation against Emmanuel Onuwa, in order to ensure that he is jailed, that way they can have unhindered access into the disputed land.
“They confessed to the crime, but claimed that they got the head from a corpse at Njaba River Bank, efforts are ongoing to identify the corpse, while the investigation is ongoing.”

By Damian Duruiheoma