“Not Even an Animal Should Die Like This”: Widow of Murdered Guard Speaks Out

Enugu, Nigeria – Mrs. Ngozi Ogbodo, widow of a 63-year-old retired soldier, Mr. Christopher Ogbodo, has made a passionate appeal to the police to act swiftly in investigating and prosecuting those responsible for her husband’s brutal murder.

Speaking to journalists in Enugu on Thursday, the grieving widow recounted how her husband, who worked as a night security guard at a petrol station under construction at Igboke Nike, along the Nsukka-Ugwogo Nike Road, was found murdered on July 1, 2025.

“My husband was killed in cold blood,” Mrs. Ogbodo said, struggling to hold back tears. “Since that day, not one arrest has been made involving those who were supposed to be in charge of that site. The station manager and the owner of the station have not even been questioned.”

According to her, police from Unity Police Station in Ibeagwu, Nike, responded late that night and moved the body to a mortuary. The case was later transferred to the State CID Homicide Department, but progress has been painfully slow.

She revealed that only one labourer working on the site was arrested, and expressed deep suspicion that critical suspects were being shielded.

“Why hasn’t the station manager been arrested? Why is the owner of the station silent and hiding? Is there something they are not telling us?” she asked. “This is a human life we’re talking about, not an animal.”

Mrs. Ogbodo also appealed for the release of her husband’s corpse for burial, even as the investigation continues.

“It’s heartbreaking to think that since July 1st, those who might know what happened are walking around freely, while my husband lies cold in a morgue,” she said. “The police must arrest everyone present on that site and uncover the truth—no matter whose ox is gored.”

The widow’s call comes amid growing frustration over the pace of police investigations in homicide cases involving civilians and allegations of unequal treatment depending on social status.

Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, for a response were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report, as he did not answer calls or reply to text messages.