A dispute over HIV reportedly preceded the death of 27-year-old Chinyere Rosemary Ugwu, with her boyfriend, Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel, giving police an account of how the incident unfolded.
Emmanuel, 30, recounted the incident during an interview with the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, in a video released by the command on Friday.
The police identified Ugwu as a Medical Laboratory Science graduate of the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, who had recently completed her NYSC programme.
Emmanuel said trouble began around midnight on September 19, 2026, after he claimed he could treat people living with hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis.
He said the statement angered Ugwu, who accused him of giving her HIV. The disagreement, according to the suspect, soon turned into a physical confrontation.
“She held the pestle and started hitting me but I had to withdraw it from her. I hit her which caused her to collapse,” he said.
He alleged that after Ugwu fell, he attacked her with a machete, leaving injuries on her wrist, head and neck.
“Yeah, I chopped off the wrist,” he said when asked about the incident.
Emmanuel also acknowledged cutting her on the head and neck before securing the rooms in the house.
“I had to just close up the toilets and close the master’s bedroom and locked it up,” he said.
He told the police that he later wrapped Ugwu’s remains in a black nylon bag and placed them inside the toilet.
The body was reportedly discovered after neighbours became suspicious of an offensive smell coming from the apartment and eventually broke into the premises.
“I was weeping, broken-hearted,” he said, claiming that he had attempted to get help from a neighbour but was unsuccessful.
The suspect further disclosed that he damaged Ugwu’s Samsung phone because he feared it could lead investigators to him.
“I had this fear that people could trace the phone,” he said.
He explained that her iPhone was already switched off before the incident after she complained that the device was faulty.
Emmanuel said he met Ugwu through Facebook in 2023 before they renewed their relationship when she returned to Enugu in 2026.
He claimed the relationship was serious and that he had discussed marriage with Ugwu’s mother before her death.
Speaking about his state at the time of the incident, the suspect said he could not clearly account for his actions and suggested that he might have been under the influence of a substance.
“This thing is not actually what I did clearly or intentionally. I wasn’t fully aware of myself first,” he said.
He appealed for forgiveness and asked that the authorities show mercy.
“I’ve been praying to God for forgiveness and, like, for the fact that this wasn’t actually clearly pure intentional act from my angle, and I’ve been pleading for the government to temper justice with mercy,” he said.
The Enugu State Police Command said Ugwu’s family members had been identified and interviewed by the Commissioner of Police, while Emmanuel had also been questioned.
The command said the police commissioner ordered that the investigation be concluded and the suspect charged to court.
The police also advised members of the public, especially young women, to keep trusted persons informed about their movements when going out.
The case was initially reported by The PUNCH on September 23, after the police announced Emmanuel’s arrest.
According to the command, neighbours discovered Ugwu’s decomposing body after detecting a foul smell from the apartment. Police said the remains had allegedly been wrapped in nylon and kept inside a toilet.
The suspect was reportedly arrested after he was rescued from an angry mob.