Posted by By EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri on
For Mrs Margaret Mngaji, it has been pain and sorrow since the gruesome murder of her 20-year-old daughter, Miss Hannah Mngaji, who was raped and killed on July 14, 2008 in the university town of Abraka, Delta State.
This girl is missing
•Mum, activist cry foul
For Mrs Margaret Mngaji, it has been pain and sorrow since the gruesome murder of her 20-year-old daughter, Miss Hannah Mngaji, who was raped and killed on July 14, 2008 in the university town of Abraka, Delta State.
The mother of the deceased, who hails from Gbayan village in Buruku local government area of Benue State, is yet to recover from the shock that her beautiful daughter's corpse still remains a mystery.
In tears, Mrs Mngaji told Sunday Sun that on the fateful day, a friend of Hannah named Evelyn phoned her on several occasions inviting the deceased to her house.
She said when she could no longer bear the repeated calls, she had to ask her daughter who the caller was and she confirmed that it was Evelyn.
'Having become more worried, I told my daughter not to go because it was too early. And because I wanted to go to the farm, I asked her to look after her younger ones,' said Margaret who could not be consoled.
The bereaved, who spoke in Pidgin English, further explained that when she returned from the farm in the evening and was told that Hannah went to Evelyn's place, she became very worried. She said she decided to phone her but she did not get a response and her daughter did not return home that day.
Mrs Mngaji also explained that the following morning, she went to Evelyn's house where she was told that someone was raped and shot in Evelyn's one room apartment about 10pm the previous day.
'When I became suspicious, I went to the police station in Abraka where I met Evelyn. When she saw me, she started crying and I then suspected that something had happened to my daughter,' she said.
'Upon investigation, I was told that a man came into Evelyn's room that night, collected items belonging to Hannah, including her handset, and raped her before he shot her to death. But the most painful thing is that till date I cannot find the corpse of my daughter,' said Margaret as she broke down in tears.
According to her, Hannah was to enroll for JAMB next year having completed her secondary school certificate examination.
Asked if she suspected anybody, she mentioned a woman (name withheld), whose husband she admitted the deceased was dating.
'Several times, this woman and her friend had called my daughter on phone and warned her to stop the affair with her husband. When the threat became frequent, I decided to meet (the man) and told him of the series of threat from his wife. But he always told me not to bother and promised to handle the matter.'
Mrs Mngaji said the last phone call Hannah received from the woman was a serious warning. Besides, she said not long after, her daughter received another call from someone else telling her that she was already in town and that she (Hannah) should be battle ready.
'When my daughter told me of another call she received threatening her life, I asked her to ignore the call just as I regarded it as the common way women do threaten people. But I don't know that it will result in the killing of my daughter, who was assisting me in my petty trade.'
Margaret, who lost her husband in similar circumstance, wants well-meaning Nigerians to assist in ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
'I have no money to prosecute this matter but I rely on God Almighty and Nigerians to assist so that the matter will not be swept under the carpet,' said the bereaved mother as she gazed at the ceiling of the ramshackle one-room apartment, talking to nobody in particular.
Mrs Mngaji said she has gone into hiding as there have been several threats to her life and that of her three children from different persons in Abraka.
Likewise, a human rights activist, Comrade Francis Igho, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro, accusing the Delta State Police Command of attempting to pervert justice in the murder of Miss Hannah.
According to him, homicide detectives from command were conniving with perpetrators of the act to sweep the matter under the carpet, pleading that a thorough investigation be carried out to bring the criminals to justice.
Igho, who is the state coordinator of Network for Transparency, Human Rights and Good Governance, contended that the mother of the deceased sought the assistance of the body to unravel the killers.
He expressed worry at the alleged biased investigation carried out by the homicide detectives in Asaba, saying they claimed to have concluded their investigation without any evidence connecting the suspects with the crime.
'In view of the foregoing and our client's zero tolerance for criminality and injustice, we urge you sir to take over the investigation of this case and bring to book the perpetrators of this dastard act,' said Igho.