Nursing Mother Murdered In Bauchi State

The Igbo community in Bauchi State in northern Nigeria, has been thrown into serious wailing and turmoil over the murder of a popular Igbo business woman by unknown gunmen.

The deceased, Mrs Loricia Onukwu, a nursing of a two months old baby, was shot dead by the gunmen in front of her house at Fadama Mada area in Bauchi metropolis.

According to the Vanguard Newspaper, the gunmen who were two in number, accosted Loricia, a mother of four just as she arrived her house after closing from her business located in the area as a hybrid dealer at about 7 pm on Monday evening and hooted her car horn for her children to open the gate.

Her second son, Makochwuwku, a 10-year-old boy, had just opened the gate for his mother to drive into the compound when he saw two men carrying gun walking towards his mother’s car. They shot her twice through the windscreen and made away with her handbag after demanding for money.

The husband who quickly relocated his family including the two months old baby to Government Reserved Area in the city, could not be reached to shed more light on the gruesome murder of his wife. Loricia was an indigene of Ideato Local Government Area of Imo State.

A woman leader in the late woman's church narrated to newsmen:

The husband Leo was not at home. He went to church. They were shouting ‘where is the money, where is the money’ before they shot her at close range.

She was very friendly and a calm woman who loved everybody, was always cracking jokes, always happy. If you are upset and you meet her, you will become happy.

I don’t know why anyone would kill such person. I have never heard of a woman being killed like that. Loricia never told us she had problems with anyone. It is simply painful and a mystery.

We had fixed the second Sunday of November for the dedication at Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church, Fadama Mada parish, for the dedication of her new baby and she was excited about it.

She talked about it all the time as we had almost concluded arrangements the dedication of the baby. She called to inform me that she had booked for the reception at Chaba Hotel and we made arrangement for cooking only to hear news that she was killed. It is sad.

An Igbo leader in state decried the killing of Loricia, saying her brutal death has thrown her family and the Igbo community into great mourning.

Her death brings to four the number of Igbos killed in Bauchi. Her own is sad because she is a woman. We implore the police to bring the killers to book.