From Tony John, Port Harcourt

Rivers State Police command said  it has arrested a woman identified as Loveth and her boyfriend, Wisdom Mike, popularly known as Boss, over the murder of a 20-year-old welder, Nathaniel Nwankwo Ulu.

Police public relations officer in the state, Superintendent Grace Iringe-Koko, told Daily Sun that the suspects and three others at large were alleged to be involved in the death of the young man. The incident occurred in evening of August 18.

Nathaniel lived with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson Nwankwo Ulu, at Plot 3, Umuaro Street, Location 15, Umuebule 2, Etche, in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. They hail from Obiene Ututu in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State. His father is a businessman at the popular Oil Mill Market, Eleme Junction, Port Harcourt.

On that fateful day, Mr. Ulu said he closed business and went home together with his son. He said, when they got to their bus stop by Shell Location, near the flow station, he told his son to go home, while he stopped by to meet with his friends.

It was learnt that, on getting home at about 6:47pm, Nathaniel saw his younger sister, Esther, crying, with lacerations on her legs.

When Nathaniel asked her why she was crying, Esther told him that a woman in their neighbourhood flogged her on the legs when she and her friend went to repair her school bag. So, Nathaniel immediately took Esther to the woman’s house to know the why she flogged his sister and inflicted injuries on her.

Daily Sun gathered that, on trying to make the enquires, an argument ensued. And the woman called her boyfriend on phone, who was alleged to be an area boy called Wisdom Mike, alias Boss.

Unknown to Nathaniel, Boss invited three of his friends who also lived in the neighbourhood. They allegedly came with weapons to the compound.

The youths, as gathered, without caring to know what was the problem, confronted Nathaniel. The confrontation led to a fight and the three men overpowered Nathaniel. As the fight was raging, it was alleged that the woman locked the gate. They stabbed him in the chest, arm, neck and other parts, and blood started flowing.

Nathaniel was taken to hospital but he died on the way. His body was deposited at a nearby morgue.

It was also gathered that Nathaniel was a trained welder, a responsible and hardworking young man. He was very peaceful and easygoing. He was supposed to go back to the rig on August 21, before his untimely death.

According to Esther, 11, she visited her friend, Favour Okpara, in another compound, to fix her school bag. She narrated that, while they were repairing the bag, the woman’s six years old son came out and claimed that the thread they were using belonged to him. 

Esther replied that she brought the thread from their house. It resulted in an argument and abuses between them. The woman, who did not ask for what the problem was, allegedly started flogging Esther and inflicted injuries on her legs.    

There was, however, another version of the story. A landlord living close to the compound where the incident occurred and who identified himself as Jonathan Orabere, said the death of the boy was as a result of a serious fight between the victim and some boys. Orabere told the reporter that the woman in question, who was alleged to have called her boyfriend on phone, was an akara seller.

He said that, although he didn’t know exactly what transpired between the deceased and woman that evening, he noticed that the victim was beating the woman, which attracted passers-by.

He said: “That woman police arrested fries akara in front of the compound. People know her very well and she was frying akara that evening. Though I didn’t know exactly what was the problem between the victim and the woman, I noticed that the boy, who looked too young, was beating the woman and she was shouting.

“Some boys, who were passing saw them and they were trying to ask the boy why he was beating the woman. Suddenly, a fight ensued. We didn’t know what led to the fight. You know, it was evening and, suddenly, somebody shouted, ‘My neck, my neck’. People started running away. When we rushed there, we saw the  boy on the ground with blood on his neck and body.

“What I cannot say authoritatively is who the killers were. But what I know is that the boys (killers) were asking the deceased why he was beating the woman, before they started fighting.”

Meanwhile, SP Koko said the matter has been  transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.