Police arrest man who raped and killed pastor’s pregnant wife

• The suspects are said to have committed the heinous act after an argument with the deceased.

A man nicknamed Emeka who committed the rape to death of one Chigbewejim Steward, the wife of a pastor, has been arrested.

Emeka is said to have led the gang that raped the woman in Abarikpo community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of ​​the state.

The suspects are said to have committed the heinous act after an altercation with the dead man.

After arguing with Steward earlier that day, the suspect and his gang broke into her house at midnight on February 12, 2023, kidnapped the woman and took her to an unknown location.

The suspect is said to have fled the community after receiving information that the police were after him.

The husband of the deceased, an assistant pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Abarikpo Township, Attorney Steward, confirmed the arrest of the suspects in a conversation with journalists on Friday.

Steward recalled: “Yes, Emeka planned my wife’s death after he quarrelled with her because my wife called him an evil man. He told my wife, you will see evil today.

“And that night, February 12, 2023, around 1 a.m., these bad guys came to my house, broke down the door and took my wife.

“My wife was five months pregnant. Emeka and his gang raped and strangled her. The police arrested him on Thursday. He is now in police custody. I went to the station to give my statement.

“I want the government to intervene to ensure justice is done. I thank the police for their efforts in arresting these bad guys.”

He claimed that Emeka and his gang were members of a cult “in Iceland.” When his wife was kidnapped, they took her to their hideout and gang raped and murdered her.

Steward also recalled that his wife’s body was discovered near a fish pond several hours after her abduction, with numerous bruises and a bleeding vagina.

The late Mrs. Steward is believed to have been very vocal in condemning criminal and cult-like activities in the Abarikpo community.

A senior police official confirmed Emeka’s arrest, adding that two other suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.

“It was not just Emeka. Two others were also arrested by the Ahoada police. They are all in custody,” he told Punch