“How I raped, strangulated and buried her in a dry well” – Man confesses to killing 12-year-old girl

He has been to jail twice. This time, he could end up with the death penalty. The first time he went to prison, he had attempted to kill his mother. When he had served his term in Owerri, he relocated to Maiduguri. In Maiduguri, he killed his friend and he was thrown again into prison. Now Samuel Chukwunyere Ochichi, 34, is facing the third conviction, this tune, he may not be as lucky as he was on two previous occasions.

He has confessed to killing another person, the 12-year-old Favour Ifunanya Oguamalami. He said he took the girl to his room, raped, strangulated and buried her in a dry well at Amaegbu village, Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo state. He was picked up by operatives of the Police Ambush Squad, Imo State Command two months after committing the crime.

Samuel, who hails from the same village (Amaegbu), told Saturday Sun that, months before the incident, he had expressed to Favour his desire for love. He narrated: “Favour was a beautiful girl. I told her that I wanted her to be my girlfriend. She agreed and anytime I meet her on the way, I would buy snacks and drinks for her. One day, I told her that I would buy her a handset if she would agree to have sex with me. She agreed.

“I was able to save money and bought a small handset, and because I wanted to be sure that she will keep to her own side of the deal, I told her that the phone was in my house.  On October 10, 2013, she agreed to follow me home to pick the phone.

“As soon as she collected it, she attempted to leave without keeping to her side of the deal. I had to force her by stuffing her mouth with cloths and had sex with her several times until she fainted. I was afraid and didn’t want to be arrested. So I decided to kill her while she was still unconscious.”

In order to conceal the deed Samuel said he waited till 12 midnight, before disposing of the corpse. “I kept the corpse in my bedroom till 12am when I was certain that everybody in the neighborhood would be asleep,” he said. “Initially I tried throwing her into the pit toilet but discovered that the mouth was small.  Luckily, I spotted a deep, dry well and quickly threw her into it. I used available sand, leaves and a thick pan to cover the well. First thing in the morning, I told my relatives that I was travelling to Owerri to continue my block moulding business,” he narrated further.

Two months after the incident, Samuel said he felt that the people must have gotten tired of looking for girl and felt that it was safe to return home. “On November 30, 2013, I came back home to recover my money from debtors.  The next day, the youths of Nkwerre, including the brother of the girl, stormed my house, demanding that I should tell them where she was. I told them that I did not know her whereabouts since she left my house on October 10, 2013. I was handed over to vigilante who tortured me, but I refused to tell the truth. Our village head ordered them to hand me over to the police at Nkwerre police station. It was then that I knew that my game was up because of my past experience in the police station. So, I confessed.”

On his past jail sentences, Samuel said that he had threatened to kill his mother if she failed to show him who his father was. “I was not happy that people referred to me as a bastard. Severally, I begged my mother to tell me who my father was and she simply said that she didn’t know and will never tell me. I was bitter. One day I took a cutlass and threatened to kill her. She ran away so I damaged her car and destroyed her other personal effects. She called the police and I was arrested and jailed for five years in Owerri prison.

“After my jail term, I relocated to Maiduguri in Borno State but unfortunately I was jailed again because I killed a friend while we were fighting. After spending another five years, I relocated to the village,” Samuel said.

“I am terribly sorry. I know that the reason I have turned out so bad is that I do not have a father.” Confirming the incident, Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Katsina, told Saturday Sun that Samuel is a notorious criminal and that he has confessed to the crime and took the police to the pit where Ifunanya was buried.

Describing him as an unrepentant criminal, CP Kastina said: “Our investigation revealed that Samuel was sentenced to five years in prison when he attempted to kill his mother. In 2011, he raped his own kindred and ran away to Maiduguri where he killed a young man and was sent to prison.

Sun