The police command in Ebonyi has arrested a man, suspected to be mentally ill, from Onyikwa community of Ebonyi Local Government Area for allegedly killing his wife, two children and five members of the community.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that the suspect allegedly macheted the deceased persons to death on Monday.
The suspect, who was identified as Simon Ugbala, reportedly fled into the bush, when he was being chased by the locals.
He was said to have resurfaced from the bush later in the day to also machete the last person to death and left four others wounded.
ASP Loveth Odah, the state Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed to newsmen in Abakaliki on Wednesday that the suspect was arrested inside a bush in the community.
Odah said that the command instituted a manhunt along with the community youths for the suspect since the incident occurred.
She said: “The suspect was arrested and brought to the police headquarters before being referred to the psychiatric unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.
“We want to ascertain the suspect’s mental status as he is said to be insane by members of the community.”
The PPRO further said that the medical report on the suspect’s mental status would assist the police in its investigation into the heinous crime.
Odah said: “We thank the public for contributing to the suspect’s arrest and assure that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.”
She charged communities to always monitor the activities of insane people in their areas and possibly hand them over to psychiatric facilities for care and rehabilitation.
She said that such a measure would help to forestall similar heinous acts in future.
She said: “Ebonyi people should not allow such acts to be committed in the state.”
She said that although the state had the lowest crime rate in the zone, “the rate of murder is high”.
NAN reports that members of the community and scores of residents of Abakaliki, the state capital, thronged the police headquarters to catch a glimpse of the suspect.
The development resulted in heavy traffic gridlock near the Government House and Ogoja Road, where the police headquarters is situated.
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