BY PATRICK MGBODO
After a painstaking operation by eagle-eyed police detectives, the law has finally caught up with two suspected killers of a retired High Court Judge, Justice Ifeoma Okogwu. The police confirmed their arrest, yesterday narating how operatives swung into action to unravel one of the most heinous crimes in recent times.
It was earlier reported that Justice Okogwu was found dead by her brother, Emeka Okogwu, in her Asaba residence, with her hands and legs bound and her mouth gagged with a cloth.
Weeks after the tragic incident, which left the legal profession and the Asaba community in deep shock, the Delta State Police Command said it had arrested the prime suspect in Anako, Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State.
According to the command’s spokesperson, in a statement issued to The Pointer, the suspect, 25-year-old Godwin Mngumi, was tracked and arrested in Anambra State, and the phone of the late Justice Okogwu was recovered from him.
The statement reads: “On December 6, 2025, operatives of the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Delta State Police Command, acting on intelligence, arrested one Godwin Mngumi, aged 25 years, the security guard who allegedly murdered Justice Ifeoma Okogwu (rtd) in Anambra State. The phone of the late retired justice has also been recovered from him. “He (Mngumi) confessed that he invited his friend, one Nnaji Obalum, and one other suspect currently at large to the house, where they carried out the dastardly act together. Nnaji Obalum has also been arrested, while the manhunt for the third suspect is ongoing,” the police said.
The Asagba of Asaba, HRM Obi (Prof.) Epiphany Azinge, SAN, had earlier vowed to ensure that the killers of Justice Ifeoma Okogwu (rtd) were brought to justice before today.
HRM Azinge made the promise last week when he led a retinue of his chiefs to visit the extended Okogwu family to condole with them on the demise of their daughter. The Asaba monarch expressed disappointment that investigations into the murder of Justice Okogwu appeared to be making little progress, even as he expected all security operatives to bring tangible results by Monday, December 8, 2025.
According to HRM Azinge: “By Monday, I must get information on those who killed our daughter. However, we can unearth what happened, and we are prepared to go to that extent.
“Although we cannot say that one Asaba son or daughter is greater than the other, there are those who have risen in life to enviable heights. When somebody rises through the ranks to become a judge, that person is no longer small.
“Again, you know that I am a bit biased because that profession is my constituency. So, I cannot look the other way. This is because I will be asked questions. Her colleagues in service will ask what we have done.”
