Abia State, Nigeria: after monarch Eze Philip Ajomuiwe raises the alarm, police probe discovery of over 30 mutilated corpses – ritual killings suspected

Warning: the following article contains graphic details which may upset readers.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones commonly called zones. Abia State is located in the South East geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. (It is not to be confused with Abia, a town in Enugu State, north of Abia State, also in the South East geopolitical zone.)

The capital of Abia State is Umuahia.

Abia State is an inland state and one of Nigeria’s smallest states. With a surface area of 6,320 km2 it ranks 32nd (out of 36 states). It had an estimated population of nearly 5 million people, the majority of whom are Christians (2024) resulting in a 26th position. The most populous city is Aba, the state’s commercial center.

In 1991, Abia state was created out of Imo State, the two states are considered sister states and were part of the Eastern Region which in the late 1960s attempted to secede (Biafran War). The Igbo people are one of the indigenous peoples of the South-eastern part of Nigeria and make up 95% of the population.

A traditional local ruler, His Royal Highness (HRH) Eze Philip Ajomuiwe, recently raised the alarm, revealing that over 30 bodies had been dumped into the Imo river between 2024 and February 2025. Reportedly the corpses found were mutilated, a sign that the victims had been killed for ritualistic purposes.

The traditional ruler of Oriendu Autonomous Community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, His Royal Highness Eze Philip Ajomiwe, has expressed deep concern following the discovery of more than 30 unidentified bodies in the Imo River over the past year. In a recent press briefing at his palace, Eze Ajomiwe disclosed that the victims, predominantly young women, were often found unclothed, with missing body parts, or enclosed in bags. Source: Instagram – peopleofabia_en myowerriblog

Since the authorities have failed to arrest any suspects, the monarch expressed his worries that the situation of fear in the region will last and he was appealing to the state government to take immediate and adequate action.
(webmaster FVDK)

Police probe discovery of 30 mutilated corpses in Abia community

Published: February 7, 2025
By: Steve Oko – Vanguard, Nigeria

The Abia State Police Command said it had launched an investigation into the alleged discovery of 30 bodies of suspected  ritual  killings in Imo River in Oriendu community.

This is coming on the heels of the alarm by the traditional ruler of the community, HRH Eze Philip Ajomuiwe, that over 30 bodies had been dumped into the river between 2024 and February 2025.

Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chilaka, told Vanguard that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ohuhu Police Division, had commenced an investigation into the sad development.

She said the community shared a boundary with Imo State, adding that Police were collaborating with vigilantes in the area to unravel those behind the dastardly act.

The PPRO said  that even though there had been no official complaint to the police about the ugly  incident, the Command based on the inquiries by Vanguard, had initiated an investigation into the matter.

She vowed that those behind the heinous crime would not escape the long arm of the law.

Eze Ajomuiwe had while addressing newsmen in his palace at the weekend, revealed that over 30 bodies, mostly young ladies had been dumped into the river by suspected ritualists from Imo State.

He said that the bodies, usually naked and without private parts, were dumped into the river in the middle of the night by the killers as the community wakes to see them in the morning.

He said: “The bodies, like the recent one, are either completely naked and without their private parts or in a bag. There have also been cases of two decomposing bodies seen beside the NNPC pipeline.

“The victims are mostly young girls. The ritualists from Imo usually come at night to dump the bodies of their victims inside the Imo River, and in the morning we wake to see them”.

The monarch expressed worry that no arrest had been made by security agencies since the incident began, adding that his subjects now live in fear.

According to him, efforts by the community’s vigilante group to arrest the suspects had failed too, because the group is not as equipped as the suspects are said to be.

“So, we’re appealing to the state government to empower the vigilante group with the necessary logistics and the wherewithal to enable it to match the suspects,” he said.

He argued that nobody ever embarks on such a mission with empty hands especially when the enemy is fully armed with sophisticated weapons and is ready to fight back.

The monarch said that his complaints about the situation to security agents had been to no avail, noting that the latest was a letter to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly on February 7.

“ We have reported even to the DSS and they came here and held a meeting with us. We need the Government’s intervention to apprehend those behind this atrocity”.

Source: Police probe discovery of 30 dead bodies in Abia community

Nigeria: mutilated dead body found near army checkpoint in Aba (Abia State)

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).  

The mutilated body of the victim

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

Abia State – Nigeria