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| Most Rev. Valerian Okeke |
The Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Anambra State, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, has demanded for a full Police investigation into the murder of a young woman, Miss Francisca Okoli (23) by suspected gunmen at Awka-Ekiti, Idemili South Local Government Area.
Archbishop Okeke made the call while reacting to the incident yesterday, adding that it was a wicked act to have murdered the girl for resisting to be raped by her assailants.
“I deplore the orgy and wanton killing of an innocent citizen as that particular lady could not have provoked her assailants by any means,” he said.
The Archbishop also disclosed that the Church had dispatched a team from his office to ascertain the circumstances leading to her murder; while calling on security operatives to fish-out the perpetrators.
Narrating the ordeal, Mr George Okoli, Francisca’s father, told newsmen that the gang broke through his premises around 4.30 am on that fateful day with shot guns, cutlasses, cudgels and other dangerous weapons.
“My attempts to save my daughter’s life failed when the robbers stabbed me with cutlasses and other weapons and chased me out of the room where I saw them tearing the dress and underwear of my daughter in a bid to rape her.
“In the process, she was beckoning on me and invoking the mercy of God and anybody that could save her even though she posed a strong resistance against their move.
“Angered by her continued resistance; the robbers made good their threat to kill her by hitting her with pistol on her head, neck and waist.
“I could not do anything because they locked us inside one room and one of them was on the door threatening to kill us if we opened the door.
“The gang searched the whole rooms in the house and stole some little cash and valuables.
z“Due to the shock, which overwhelmed me and my wife, we waited until about 6.30am after the robbers had left with some of our belongsonly to discover that our daughter had been killed with bruises all over her body, her head smashed with clubs suspected to be pistol and cutlasses,” the father of the deceased narrated.
Dr. Donald Nwasike, who received the body of the deceased at the Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, Awka-Etiti noted that the lady was badly brutalized with severe head injuries and also foaming in her mouth.
Rev. Fr. Peter Anene, Manager in-charge of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Awka-Etiti said he had known Miss Francisca for sometime in the Parish describing her as unassuming, “hardworking and always at the chapel”.
