An Enugu Chief Magistrates’ Court Grade 1, presided over by Mrs U.I. Jideofor, has remanded Mrs Ujunwa Ugwuoke, in the Enugu Correctional Centre, for the alleged murder of nine-year-old Precious Korshima.
Count No.1 states: ‘That you Ugwuoke Ujunwa ‘f’ and others now at large on the 9th day of November 2022, at about 0900hours at No. 2, Fidelity Estate Okpara Avenue, Enugu, in Enugu North Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; murder and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 494 of the Criminal Code, Cap 30, Vol. 11 Revised Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004’.
Count 2: ‘That you Ugwuoke Ujunwa ‘f’ and others now at large on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did unlawfully kill Precious James Korshima ‘f’ aged 9 years by beating her all over her body with a stick which caused her death and dumped and set her corpse ablaze in a refuse dump site at Ugbo Nwagidi village, Enugwu-Uno Ituku, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 274(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 30, Vol. 11 Revised Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004.’
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer of Enugu state command, DSP Daniel Ndukwe in a release made available to Journalists in Enugu on Friday said:
‘The suspect was remanded in the Custodial Centre and the case file was transmitted to the Office of the Attorney General of Enugu State for perusal and legal advice, through the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), on the orders of the Magistrate.
‘Thereafter, in the morning hours of the following day, she took the lifeless body of the child to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, for medication attention. However, upon getting confirmation of her death by doctors on duty, she immediately took and dumped her corpse in a refuse dump site along Ugbo-Nwagidi Village Road, Enugwueze Uno-Ituku community in Awgu Local Government Area.
The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Police Command, CP Ahmed Ammani, has charged parents to be mindful of who they entrust the custody and care of their children, to avoid disheartening situations.
A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, said the commissioner’s warning came following the gruesome murder of 9-year-old Precious Korshima by her guardian, Ujunwa Ugwuoke.
The PPRO said the command has concluded investigation in the case and arraigned the suspect who was remanded in custodial centre on Thursday, January 19, 2023.
The spokesperson said the suspect allegedly beat the minor, who was her house help, to death and dumped her corpse in a bush where it was burnt.
‘The Homicide Section of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (State CID) of the Enugu State Police Command, has concluded investigation into the case of alleged murder of 9 years old Precious James Korshima (female) by her guardian, one Ujunwa Ugwuoke (female) aged 29, who was arraigned in the Enugu North Magistrate Court of the State today, 19th January 2023,’ the statement read.
‘The suspect was remanded in the Custodial Centre and the case-file transmitted to the Office of the Attorney General of Enugu State for perusal and legal advice, through the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), on the orders of the Magistrate.
‘The investigation conducted into the case revealed that the suspect confessed to have, during the night hours of 8th November 2022, beaten and caused the death of the minor, who was her house-help, in her residence at Fidelity Estate, Okpara Avenue, Enugu.
‘Thereafter, in the morning hours of the following day, she took the lifeless body of the child to University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, for medication attention.
‘However, upon getting confirmation of her death by doctors on duty, she immediately took and dumped her corpse in a refuse dump site along Ugbo-Nwagidi Village Road, Enugwueze Uno-Ituku community in Awgu Local Government Area.
‘Furthermore, she evaded to Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, from where she sent a false alarm claiming that the deceased, her little child and herself, were kidnapped on 9th November 2022, on her way back home from Independence Layout, Enugu, where she had gone to refill her Gas Cylinder, and taken to an unknown destination.
‘She further claimed that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of twenty million naira (N20,000,000.00) for each of them.
‘The suspect, however, resurfaced on 16th November 2022, claiming that the kidnappers spared her and her child’s life, but shot the deceased dead.
‘Hence, the case, which was initially reported at New Haven Police Division as a case of kidnapping, was transferred to Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command and further transferred to the Homicide Section of the State CID Enugu, upon her confessional statement.’
The CP further commended the painstaking efforts made by the police detectives to lay a firm foundation for the dispensation of justice in the case.
