The deceased had reportedly exposed Nwangwu's alleged sexual violence — but authorities allegedly refused to act. Instead, he was empowered with an official security role.
A leaked petition has revealed that community leaders in Opi, Nsukka, warned the Enugu State government months ago about a man, Emmanuel Emeka Nwangwu — the 51-year-old suspect recently arrested for killing a 19-year-old girl.
The deceased had reportedly exposed Nwangwu's alleged sexual violence — but authorities allegedly refused to act. Instead, he was empowered with an official security role.
A source familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters: “This document shows that the criminal who murdered a 19-year-old girl in Nsukka was known to the state and local government. His community wrote a letter to the Secretary to the State Government but they refused to act and gave him more power instead.”
The letter, dated May 21, 2025, was sent by the Federated Ibeku-Opi Town Union (FITU) to the Secretary to the State Government of Enugu State. It catalogued a series of alleged criminal activities involving Nwangwu and urged the government to stop his appointment as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Ibeku Opi.
The petition, jointly signed by the President-General of Ibeku Opi, Barr. Oliver Ezeah, and Secretary-General Mr. John Chinwendu Ezugwu, carried the bold title:
“A Humble Request To Redirect Engr. Jude Chinedu Asogwa… to terminate his appointment of Emmanuel Emeka Nwangwu, a trans-border kidnapper, as the CSO of Ibeku Opi.”
According to the letter, community leaders first met with Nsukka Local Government Chairman, Engr. Jude Chinedu Asogwa, in November 2024 and warned that they were being pressured to install Nwangwu as CSO despite what they described as his criminal past.
“I told him that it will not happen under my watch as the PG Ibeku Opi. The Chairman said it will never happen,” the letter stated.
However, despite objections from several Nsukka local officials present at a subsequent meeting — including the PDP Local Government Chairman, the Deputy Chairman, the Council Secretary, and a former LGA Chairman — the appointment allegedly went through.
“On 28th April, 2025, the Executive Chairman approved the purported appointment,” the petition said.
The community’s letter also claimed that Nwangwu once changed his name from Emmanuel to Michael to obscure online searches about his past. It further accused him of recording a sexual encounter with a married woman, Mrs. Philomina Omeje, and attempting to extort ₦20 million from her before circulating the video when she could not pay.
According to the petition, he was dismissed from his former position as Special Personal Assistant on Transport to the then Nsukka LGA Chairman following that incident.
Despite the gravity of the allegations and the community’s plea that “any other person without criminal records” be appointed CSO, the Enugu State Government did not intervene, according to the petitioners.
Nwangwu was later arrested for allegedly murdering a 19-year-old girl who had reportedly exposed his sexual abuse.
The community insists the tragedy could have been avoided had government officials acted on their warning.
As of the time of filing this report, the Enugu State government, including the office of the Secretary to the State Government and Nsukka Local Government authorities, had not issued any official response to the leaked letter or the allegations it contained.
SaharaReporters had reported on December 2, that Enugu State Police Command arrested Nwangwu, for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old maternal cousin, Loveth Uloma Nwangwu, in Nsukka, barely days after she reported him to the police for alleged sexual abuse, defilement, and threats to her life.
Police spokesperson SP Daniel Ndukwe, which confirmed the arrest in a statement issued on December 2, describing the incident as a “gruesome and heartbreaking tragedy” that occurred amid the yuletide season.
According to the police, operatives of the Nsukka Urban Division, assisted by members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, arrested the suspect on December 1 at a pharmacy in Nsukka where the attack occurred.
Police records show that Loveth had filed a complaint on November 28 at Umabor Division, alleging that she had been living with the suspect since 2019—when she was 13—after his wife died. During that period, she reportedly suffered sexual abuse, abduction, restriction of communication, and threats to her life.
The statement noted that Loveth claimed she managed to flee to her family home in Enugu-Ezike, but the suspect allegedly trailed her, threatened her with a firearm, and forcibly returned her to his residence in Ibeku-Opi, Nsukka LGA.
She was said to have been locked up before escaping again to report the matter to the police.
Police issued her a medical form for examination and invited both families for questioning. During the initial engagement, the suspect allegedly confessed to some of the allegations.
“He sought forgiveness and promised to return the victim’s property,” the statement said.
Loveth’s family, reportedly citing cultural and familial sensitivities, initially chose not to pursue criminal charges but opted for “spiritual cleansing due to the incestuous and abominable act.”
Tragically, the situation escalated when Loveth, who was receiving medical treatment at a pharmacy, was attacked by the suspect.
“The suspect forcefully gained access into the pharmacy, assaulted the victim, and repeatedly smashed her head on the floor,” SP Ndukwe stated.
She was rushed to a hospital where she was confirmed dead. Her body has been deposited in a mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
Police operatives immediately rearrested the suspect, who is now in custody.
The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, had condemned the killing, calling it “cruel, inhuman, and utterly unacceptable.”
“This is a deeply disturbing crime, and I assure the family and the public that the Command will leave no stone unturned,” Giwa said. “Justice must be served, and it will be served.”
He has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (State CID) to conduct a “meticulous investigation” and ensure the case is charged to court “within record time.”
The incident has shocked residents in Nsukka and surrounding communities, many of whom are grappling with the troubling details of alleged long-term abuse and the violent nature of Loveth’s death.