‘I Killed Retired Delta Judge For Her Phones, Jewellery’

The prime suspect in the murder of the Delta State retired chief judge, Justice Ifeoma Okogwu, has confessed to gagging the deceased to take her phones and other belongings.

The suspect, Godwin Mngumi, was paraded by the Delta Police Command on Tuesday, where he disclosed how he engaged two others to dispossess the deceased of items including a wristwatch, jewellery and a power bank.

While fielding questions from the police spokesperson of the command, SP Bright Edafe, the 25-year-old suspect said he had just been employed as a security guard at the residence of the deceased when he committed the crime.

He noted the period of his employment as “a week plus”, meaning he had spent less than two weeks before he murdered her.

“We did not plan to kill her; we only planned to take her phone. When we went there, we tied her hands and her legs. We took her phone, wristwatch, necklace and power bank,” he said.

The retired judge had two phones, and according to Mngumi, his accomplice, Nnaji Obalum, 21, kept the “big phone” — a Samsung — while the “small one” was sold for an undisclosed amount.

Obalum was also paraded alongside the prime suspect, and he admitted to having been arrested with the phone. “The Samsung phone was found with me. I put my SIM inside,” he said.

Both suspects claimed to have regretted their actions and desired to be forgiven.

Edafe, who shared the footage of this engagement via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, further noted that the last of the three suspects is still at large.

He went on to encourage residents of the state to scrutinise prospective employees before granting them access to their homes.