A 30-year-old man, Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel, has allegedly confessed to killing his 27-year-old girlfriend, Chinyere Rosemary Ugwu, following an argument over HIV in Enugu State.
Emmanuel made the disclosure during an interview with the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, which was shared on the police spokesperson’s social media platforms on Friday.
The police identified Ugwu as a graduate of Medical Laboratory Science from the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, who had recently completed her National Youth Service Corps programme.
According to Emmanuel, the incident occurred around midnight on September 19, 2026, after he told Ugwu that he could cure people living with hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis.
He said Ugwu subsequently accused him of infecting her with HIV, leading to an argument and physical confrontation.
“She held the pestle and started hitting me but I had to withdraw it from her. I hit her which caused her to collapse,” he said.
Emmanuel alleged that after Ugwu collapsed, he used a machete to inflict injuries on her wrist, head and neck.
“Yeah, I chopped off the wrist,” he said when asked what he did with the machete.
He also admitted cutting her on the head and neck before allegedly locking the body inside the apartment.
“I had to just close up the toilets and close the master’s bedroom and locked it up,” he said.
The suspect said he subsequently wrapped Ugwu’s body in a black nylon bag and moved it to the toilet, where it remained until neighbours reportedly broke into the apartment after detecting an offensive odour.
“I was weeping, broken-hearted,” Emmanuel said, adding that he had attempted to communicate with a neighbour but was unable to obtain help.
He also admitted damaging Ugwu’s Samsung phone, saying he feared the device could be used to trace him.
READ ALSO: Police Arrest Man For Killing Girlfriend Over HIV Infection Argument In Enugu
“I had this fear that people could trace the phone,” he said.
According to him, Ugwu’s iPhone had already been switched off before the incident after she complained that it was faulty.
Emmanuel said he first met Ugwu on Facebook in 2023 and resumed their relationship after she returned to Enugu in 2026.
He claimed that he had intended to marry her and had spoken with her mother about the relationship before the incident.
When asked about his actions, Emmanuel said he was not fully aware of himself at the time and suggested that he may have been under the influence of a substance.
“This thing is not actually what I did clearly or intentionally. I wasn’t fully aware of myself first,” he said.
The suspect pleaded for forgiveness and mercy, saying he had been praying over the incident.
“I’ve been praying to God for forgiveness and, like, for the fact that this wasn’t actually clearly pure intentional act from my angle, and I’ve been pleading for the government to temper justice with mercy,” he said.
The Enugu State Police Command said Ugwu’s parents and siblings had been identified and interviewed by the Commissioner of Police, while Emmanuel had also been interviewed.
The command said the Commissioner directed that the investigation be concluded and the suspect charged to court.
The police also urged members of the public, particularly young women, to inform trusted persons of their whereabouts when going out.
The incident was first reported on September 23, after the Enugu State Police Command announced Emmanuel’s arrest.
According to the police, neighbours discovered Ugwu’s decomposing body after an offensive odour emanated from the apartment, where the remains had allegedly been wrapped in nylon and kept inside a toilet.
The command said the incident occurred on September 19 and that Emmanuel was arrested after he was rescued from an angry mob.