Murder at dusk: Female teacher shot dead in Nsukka

Tension mounts at the University
town of Nsukka, Enugu state,
following last week’s gruesome
killing of a female classroom teacher
at about 200 meters to her residence
while returning from the state
capital where she attended the
swearing- in ceremony of newly
appointed commissioners in the
state.
Crime Guard gathered that the
teacher identified as Princess
Uzoamaka Onyishi, nee Ugwuokwor,
40 , hailed from Mbu -Akpoti in Isi-
Uzo local government area of the
state. She had accompanied one of
her relations , Mrs. Eze, to attend
the swearing-in ceremony of her
husband, Mr M.E Eze, who was
appointed Attorney -General and
Commissioner for Justice in the
state, only to be assailed by
unknown gunmen, very close to her
Uwani-Ugwu residence in Nsukka
metropolis.
Princess Uzoamaka Onyishi,
Investigations revealed that Princess
Onyishi drove herself to Enugu,
venue of the ceremony in company of
her Kano-based sister, Mrs
Ndidiamaka Nnaji, to attend the
ceremony. Reports said that soon
after the ceremony, both of them
cruised in a blue -coloured Toyota
Corolla of the deceased back home.
It was gathered that after she had
dropped her sister at the family
house along Ogurugu road in
Nsukka, picked up her cousin, Miss
Jacinta Okwor, who stays with her
and headed to her residence at
Uwani- Ugwu, tragedy struck. She
was shot dead by two unknown
gunmen.


The attack
Eyewitness account said the two
gunmen ambushed the princess at a
flooded spot on the pretext that
their motor cycle had problem along
the lonely road around 8.30 pm.
Reports said the unsuspecting
Princess fell victim to the bullets of
her assailants as she tried to offer
help by directing her head lamp
towards the passable side of the
road only for one of them to point
gun at her and without demanding
anything from her, pulled the trigger
and shattered her skull. The
assailants fled under the cover of
darkness.
Visit to son at the campus
Further investigations revealed that
the deceased who is the daughter of
late Igwe Gabriel Ugwuokwor, the
traditional ruler of Mbu Akpoti, a
neighbouring community in the area
and mother of five children, also
visited her first son, Chidera Onyishi,
a first year student at the
Department of Political Science, at
the University campus, unknown to
the boy that it was the last he will
see her mother. With the joy of the
swearing in celebration, the
deceased was reportedly singing
songs of praises that their relation
and close acquaintance had been
elevated as a commissioner only for
her to be assailed by yet -to -be
identified gunmen.
Visit to the family house
When Crime Guard visited the family
house at Ogurugu road, members of
the family wore gloomy faces, wailing
and confused over the fate that
befell them. Her elder sister,
Uzoamaka. Nnaemeka Ugwuokwor,
told Crime Guard amidst tears that
the entire family has been thrown
into confusion by the killing of their
sister.
According to her, ‘’My sister just
returned from Enugu where she
attended the swearing-in ceremony
of newly appointed commissioners.
One of our relations was amongst
them. On arrival at Nsukka, she
drove to the family house to see our
mother, Lolo Josephine Ugwuokwor.
When she was through with her, she
went to see her son at the campus.
As she was just driving into her
house later, she met two young men
carrying a motor cycle, trying to
manoeuvre their way in the flooded
area of the road. When she tried to
evade the young man dragging the
motor bike, another young man
emerged from the bush, pointed gun
at her and shot her, straight on the
forehead. She died on the spot.
Before she met her untimely death,
she was teaching at Urban Boys
Secondary school, Nsukka. She was
the kind that hardly could hurt a fly.
What prompted her killing still
remains a mystery to the family that
just buried their father, Igwe Gabriel
Ugwuokwor. She was driving herself
when the incident happened. She
never joined politics for one day. Her
only business in politics was to
attend the swearing-in ceremony of
the newly appointed commissioner.
The incident has been reported to
Nsukka police division who promptly
responded to the call put across to
them when she was shot. Both the
police and some clergy men assisted
in taken her to Bishop Shanahan
mortuary where her corpse was
deposited. Presently, the matter has
been transferred to Enugu state
police headquarters. The gruesome
killing of our sister has taken the
family to a devastating point of
agony, mourning, confusion and pity.
She is the most endearing in the
hearts of members of the family. She
was humble, amiable and loving to
the people that interacted with her.
We are not suspecting any person
for now,. Our only prayer is for God
to bring out the killers of our sister.
She was a mother of five, two boys
and three girls. The first is a first
year student at UNN, the second will
be writing the post UME, the third
is in SS 3, the fourth is in SS 1 while
the last one is in primary five.
Appeal to the police
“We look up to the police to unearth
the circumstances surrounding the
wicked killing of our sister. We
believe the police will stand to the
challenge to fish out perpetrators of
the heinous crime and bring them to
book. We are equally appealing to
the general public to assist us in our
moment of grief to give information,
if any, about the killing. We cry for
help from any quarter to assist us
fish out those that assailed our
sister to death. We have sent
messages across to various
communities within Nsukka and
beyond to report any suspected
person to the nearest police station
in connection with the killing. It was
pure assassination as the killers
never demanded anything from her,
neither her car key, nor cash,
nothing whatsoever.
Mother reacts
Amidst tears, Lolo Josephine
Ugwuokwor, 55, the mother of the
deceased managed to speak with
Crime Guard. She narrated her
unbearable traumatic ordeal ‘’ The
killers of my daughter will never go
unpunished. It is too painful to me
that my daughter was carelessly
killed by unknown gunmen. I am
appealing to the police to
investigate and arrest her killers
with the fear of God. We have
reported to our community and
everybody is waiting for the outcome
of police investigation. I spoke with
her immediately she returned from
Enugu unknown to me that it was
the last to speak with her before she
went to UNN to see her son,
Chidera.
Eye witness account
The lady who was with the deceased
when the ugly incident happened,
Jacinta Okwor, narrated their travail.
“ I was in the vehicle with her when
the people emerged and shot her.
The two men demanded nothing
from her, only pointed gun and shot
her instantly. When she was shot,
she fell on my laps. I did not know
she was dead. When the two men
left, I started calling her to wake up
for us to go, unknown to me that she
was dead. As my efforts to wake her
failed, I took the bush part and ran
to a house not too far from the
scene and informed her husband
that aunty has been shot dead just
now. The killers did not demand
anything from her. I sat with her in
the front seat. It was a horrible
experience. I have not recovered
from the trauma. The cloth I wore
that faithful day is still soaked with
the blood of my aunty. God will
never forgive her killers. I am an
apprentice tailor under my sister’s
care but now they have killed her.
One of the two men was dragging
motor cycle and she flashed light to
help him only for another to emerge
from the bush and shot her, point
blank without uttering a word to
her.”
Husband laments
Husband to the fair- complexioned
princess, Sunday Onyishi, 57,
lamented the circumstances that
surrounded the gruesome murder of
his wife. “The whole thing still
sound strange to me. I still could
not believe that my wife was killed
like a common thief. We have been
married for the past 22 years and
blessed with five children.
I am a transporter. Nobody has ever
complained to me that she had
problem with her. I don’t know why
she was killed. When my sister in-
law rushed to me and broke the
news of her death, I rushed
shouting, neighbours joined me, we
combed the entire place but could
not see the killers. Then we invited
the police to see what happened. I
am not suspecting anybody but the
killers of my wife will definitely be
brought to book. We moved in into
our own building five months ago.
Her killers did not allow her enjoy
the house she laboured for all these
years of hardship. I want the police
to unearth the surroundings of her
killing by faceless two young men,”
he stated amidst tears.