1st June, 2024
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested one Emeka said to be the mastermind of a gang rape of Mrs Chigbewejim Steward, a pregnant mother of two children to death in February 2023 in Abarikpo community of Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson for the Command confirmed the arrest of the suspect in a statement.
She disclosed that investigation is ongoing on the case while Police are on the trail of some other suspects involved in the gruesome act.
The suspect, Emeka, who was said to have fled from the community on learning that police were on his trail after the incident was arrested at Abarikpo Community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the State last week, Thursday, 23rd May, 2024 by the men of Ahoada Divisional Police.
It was learnt that some people who also accused Emeka of ordering the killing of their relatives in the community during the reign of infamous Iceland cult leader, the late David Gift Opara alias 2Baba have also visited the Police Division to write statements.
In an interview with journalists, Mr Lawyer Steward, An assistant Pastor with Seventh Day Adventist Church, Abarikpo community and husband to the late Chigbewejim Steward confirmed the arrest of the suspect
Mr Lawyer Steward said, “Yes Emeka is the mastermind of the death of my wife. After having a quarrel with my wife, that morning, my wife called him a wicked man.
“He told my wife ‘you called me wicked man, you will see wickedness today’. And that night around 1am breaking into Sunday morning 12th February 2023, those bad boys came to my house and broke the door and take my wife away.
“They raped her, my wife was five months pregnant and strangled her to death. Police arrested Emeka last week Thursday. Now he is in the Police custody. I have gone there to give statement.
“I want the Government to intervene so that justice will prevail”.
Mr Steward had in an interview last year, told journalists that his wife was abducted by suspected Iceland cult members from his house at Abarikpo community and taken to their (cultists) base where she was gang raped to death.
Mr Steward had disclosed that the corpse of his wife was discovered close to a fishing pond several hours after she was abducted with multiple bruises and bleedings.