A Rivers State man, identified simply as ‘Black Maria’, has confessed to the raping and killing of Success Ugochi, his 34-year-old neighbour.
Before her death, Ugochi was the suspect’s neighbour in an apartment building along Okpulo Road in Obigbo, Rivers State.
Ugochi’s death became public information when Mercy Torty, her family friend, called for help in several X posts on Wednesday.
In her posts, Torty revealed that Ugochi was raped and strangled to death in her room, and other tenants had fled the compound. She also included the picture of a suspect, whom she later identified to FIJ on Thursday as ‘Black Maria’, Ugochi’s neighbour. Ugochi had taken the picture before the attack.
When FIJ called Torty on Thursday, she shared a petition Ugochi’s family submitted to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, seeking an investigation into Ugochi’s death.
According to the petition, Ugochi’s colleagues found her dead body on Tuesday. “On Tuesday, Ugochi was found dead in her apartment by her work colleagues after she failed to show up for work,” Torty told FIJ.
The colleagues also observed signs of forced entry and strangulation on the deceased.
“Upon entering her residence, they observed signs of forced entry and found her lifeless body with visible marks of strangulation on her neck and blood in her mouth, strongly indicating culpable homicide,” she added.
Following the discovery, Ugochi’s body was taken to a hospital. “They found her dead and took her to the hospital, and the doctors confirmed that she had been raped,” Torty narrated to FIJ.
According to the petition, an earlier incident had occurred between Ugochi and Black Maria.
“A male neighbour allegedly called Black Maria (as stated by Obigbo police) unlawfully entered her home at midnight at around 2:04 am and attempted to rape her,” the petition stated.
Ugochi escaped the rape attempt and informed her family members.
Torty told FIJ that the earlier attack happened in October and confirmed that Ugochi told her sister and one of her friends.
“It happened last month. She woke up in the middle of the night and saw the guy in her room, according to her friend and her sister. She shared the information with them,” Torty said.
After the incident, Ugochi shared a picture of her abuser and also informed the landlord’s daughter about the attempted rape incident. Torty also shared a 13-minute audio recording with FIJ, where Ugochi narrated details of the attempted rape in Igbo.
When Ugochi’s colleagues found her body on Tuesday, they discovered that her phone was missing. The family believes the phone is with her killer.
“At the time of her death, her mobile phone was missing. It was ringing throughout the following day, but it is now unreachable, further suggesting that her phone may be in the possession of her killer,” the petition reads.
Torty told FIJ that police officers from Obigbo Police Station informed her that they had apprehended the suspect on Thursday. “The guy has been caught. He is in the police station now,” she revealed.
FIJ called Grace Iringe-Koko, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), to confirm the police’s investigation into both incidents, but the PPRO did not returned FIJ’s calls or respond to messages at press time.
FIJ gathered that the suspect has confessed to raping Ugochi, but he claimed Chioma, the landlord’s daughter, held Ugochi’s legs and helped him perpetrate the rape.
In a video confession made available to FIJ, the suspect says, “After the rape, Chioma told me to kill her since [Ugochi] had already seen our faces.”
Black Maria stabbed himself after news of the incident became public, but the police treated his injuries when he was caught. The matter has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
