Warning: the article below contains gruesome details of the death of the unknown victim whereas the original article (see Source) contains a graphic photo of the deceased. (webmaster FVDK).  

Published: May 23, 2019
By: Ngozi Onwukwe (AbaCityBlog)  

A mutilated dead body of a yet to be identified young man was found on Wednesday morning at the popular Bata Junction, in Aba Abia State.

The body which was found just adjacent of an army checkpoint at Bata Junction has sent residents into deep panic of the presence of ritual killers in town.

The yet to be identified victim on a closer look should be in his late 20s or early 30s before he met his untimely death.His dead body has badly mutilated as he had his intestines chartered and some important parts of his body like private part and heart were also removed by his killers.

Residents said the time of the incident is not known to them, but majority agreed it could be in the wee hours of Wednesday as the body was still fresh as at when we visited the scene.

They said the killing and mutilation of the deceased body has brought more panic to them especially those of them residing around the crime prone Ogbor-Hill axis that links the Bata Junction to Aba main town.

“The way the body was dumped with his private part and heart cut off sends message that ritualists are in town. We are in serious trouble if ritual killers are in this town.

“Everybody is afraid about the problems we have been having with tricycle robbers now that they have started killing and cutting out human parts, we are in deeper trouble,” one of the residents said.

Anyawu Emeka, a Keke riders said, “The issue looks more like money ritual because the place they dumped his body is strategic in this town.

“Bata Junction is like a confluence in Aba because almost everyone entering the main town must pass through here. Honestly, Aba is sinking security wise.”

It was gathered from some residents and commuters that the matter was reported to the nearest police station to the incident, the Eziama Police Division for further actions very early in the morning.

It was also gathered from the residents that officials of the Aba South LGA Environmental Health Department which as gathered has jurisdiction of the area have been informed to come and evacuate of the dead body for evacuation.

“It’s under our jurisdiction. We are aware of it. I’ve been there to observe the place and the deceased is not even a mad person. It’s not an elderly. It’s a young man.

“I don’t know what really happened there. It police will carry out their investigation and also we expect that through media, the family members might be reached to come.

“If it is is there till tomorrow morning, we’ll handle it. Nobody has identified the corpse for now. We cannot allow it to be a public nuisance. We cannot allow it to decompose there. We’ll handle it by tomorrow if nobody comes in for it today,” she said.

When contacted, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, the Public Relations Officer of Abia State Police Command said he is not aware of the incident as he has not been briefed about it.

Source: Mutilated dead body found near army checkpoint in Aba

Related article: Abia CP vows to investigate suspected ritual killing in Aba
Published: May 22, 2019
By: The Eagle Online 

Police Commissioner in Abia, Ene Okon, has vowed to unravel culprits involved in the murder and removal of the body parts of a young man in Aba on Tuesday night.
Okon made the vow in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Aba on Wednesday.
He said: “The information I heard was that the man was a mentally deranged person but the removal of his parts is what I do not understand.
“If they are now removing the body parts of lunatics for rituals, that is adding another dimension to criminality which is very strange and which Operation Puff Adder will work towards that area.
“Rest assured that we will investigate that murder because although the report I heard was that the man was a lunatic, even a lunatic cannot just die like that so we are going to investigate it.”
The sighting of the young man’s lifeless body with heart and private part removed threw Aba residents into panic Wednesday as they suspected the style of murder signaled the return of ritual killers to Aba.
The body of the yet-to-be identified young man was discovered early in the morning by traders going to the market and was dumped at Bata Junction faced down.
The young man, who should be in his early 30s, had his intestines pulled out from the belly and some other parts missing in the style, residents said, was akin to ritual killing.
A source, who refused to be named, said the killing of the young man with his traveling bag beside him may have happened in the late hours of Tuesday or early hours of Wednesday.
The source said: “I tell you, this kind of killing which showed the parts of this young man harvested, has caused me to shiver and fear because if this kind of thing is to return to Aba, then we are in big trouble.
“Who will chase after them? Who can stop them?
“Robbers have been robbing and killing people with tricycles even near police and military checkpoints and nothing has happened, tell me how can we be safe in this city with ritualists?”
Emeka Anyawu, a tricycle riders said: “The issue looks more like money ritual because the place they dumped his body is strategic in this town.
“Bata Junction is like a confluence in Aba because almost everyone entering the main town must pass through here. Honestly, Aba is sinking, security wise.”
NAN learnt that the matter was reported to the nearest police station which is Eziama Police station and also the Aba South Environmental Health department in the morning.
However, the corpse remained at the center of the junction till late Wednesday although it had been covered with cellophane material.
When contacted, the Head of Department, Environmental Health, Aba South LGA,  Onyinyechi Nwigwe said she had inspected the corpse but cannot order removal because it required police approval.
Nwigwe also stated that if no member of the victim’s family showed up to evacuate his body, the health office would then do their work.
She said: “It is under our jurisdiction; we are aware of it; I have been there to observe the place and the deceased is not even a mad person; he is a young man.
“I don’t know what really happened there. It is the police that will carry out investigation and we expect that through the media, the family members might be reached.
“If it remains there till tomorrow morning, we will handle it. Nobody has identified the corpse for now.
“We cannot allow it to become a public nuisance. We cannot allow it to decompose there. We’ll handle it by tomorrow if nobody comes in for it today.”

Source: Abia CP vows to investigate suspected ritual killing in Aba