storm after she was discovered to have been in custody of the remains
of her brother who died of mental illness about two years ago. The
corpse of Stephen Aloefuna, a former footballer with Rangers
International Club in the 80s, was hidden in the family house for the
past two years until it had decomposed to a skeleton.
Residents of Amikwo Village, Awka South Local Government Area, where
the incident happened, were benumbed by the shocking discovery, even
as people accused Ngozi, the food vendor, of mischievously harvesting
her brother's body parts to cook the food she sells to the public in
the market.
Daily Sun investigation revealed that the woman was a popular food
vendor in Eke-Awka market. Eyewitnesses to the horror told our
reporter that the remains of the young man had turned into a skeleton
when it was discovered by one of his brothers, who pressed Ngozi to
show him where the late Stephen was buried.
The man, stunned by the bizarre sight, raised the alarm that attracted
neighbours to the room. The sight shocked the neighbours, as they
never imagined that they had lived with a decomposing corpse for the
past two years. While suspecting Ngozi of sinister motives, the
villagers alleged that she was using her late brother's parts to
prepare food for her customers, as nothing could explain why she
locked up his remains in a room for two years.
It was gathered that the bewildered neighbours descended on Ngozi, as
they demanded explanation for such evil. Sources disclosed that Ngozi
admitted that it was the skeleton of her brother, Stephen, who died of
mental sickness. However, her failure to explain why she hid the
corpse increased people's speculation that she had something sinister
rolled up her sleeves.
But when Daily Sun went to the residence of the suspect to probe
further, her relations denied the claim, insisting that she was
innocent of any diabolical act. A member of the family, who spoke with
our reporter on condition of anonymity, confirmed the death of
Stephen, who he said suffered mental problem for many years before his
death.
It was reported that Ngozi tried all she could do for him to recover
from his sickness but all her efforts proved abortive. So, when he
died, she called one of their brothers and reported the death of their
brother, Stephen, but he allegedly shunned her and asked her not to
bother him again. For the past two years, the corpse was denied a
proper burial and abandoned in the room, where it decomposed to bones.
The dishonour to the dead came to light recently when Mr. Ifeanyi
Aloefuna accosted Ngozi and demanded to see where the deceased was
buried. It was at that point that she led him to the room where he
beheld the terrifying skeleton of the late Stephen.
When this reporter asked Ngozi whether she was guilty of cooking her
brother's body parts, she said: "I am innocent. I did not kill my
brother. Everybody knew he had a mental problem and was seriously sick
before he died. Before he died, I was the only person that was taking
care of him for years and nobody asked me how he was faring until he
died. They said I killed him and used his body to prepare the food
that I sell but only God knows the truth. I leave it for God to
judge."
She explained that shortly after her brother's death, she called their
elder brother, that was living outside the state but he warned her not
to disturb his peace. According to her, since she could not bury his
brother alone, she left the corpse in a room and covered him.
"I decided to cover him till he comes back because only I cannot bury
him. After two years of his death, some of our family members came and
asked of him and I told them he is dead and they said I should show
them his grave. I opened his room and showed them where he died. Then
I was arrested and taken to the police station," she explained.
Ngozi denied embalming the corpse with native herbs to dry it and
prevent any odour in the neighbourhood. One of the residents of the
area told our reporter that a pungent smell pervaded the air within
the area for many months in the past but no one could trace the source
of the stinking odour. It was after the shocking discovery was made
that residents felt disgusted of inhaling such odour from a
decomposing corpse.
Daily Sun gathered that the remains of the deceased were taken to the
police station, while Ngozi was detained and interrogated for some
days. She was later granted bail when some of her kindred intervened.
The relatives also buried the remains of late Stephen in their family
compound.
When our reporter contacted the state Police Public Relations Officer,
Mr. Uche Eze, he confirmed the incident and said that investigations
are ongoing.
--DailySun
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