UKWULU, Nigeria — A harrowing event has unfolded in the town of Ukwulu, Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, involving the abduction and brutal rape of a couple and their maid by armed herdsmen.
The violent incident occurred as the family returned to their hometown to celebrate their daughter’s wedding.
The victims, whose identities are withheld, were intercepted by a group of herdsmen as they attempted to pass through Abba Junction after ELDI.
According to the victims, the herdsmen used a herd of cattle to block the road, subsequently abducting the family at gunpoint and leading them into the bush.
In the bush, the captors subjected the family to extreme physical and sexual violence.
The mother of the bride recounted the ordeal in a desperate Save Our Soul (SOS) message addressed to Anambra’s Governor Chukwuma Soludo, detailing the brutal assault that took place in front of her husband.
“They tie our hand behind us. They started beating us. Some farmers saw us and look away. They did not help us. In the bush, they rape me and my maid before my husband every time without mercy. The third man tear my husband trousers and continue to rape him in the anus,” the victim painfully recounted.
As the assaults continued, the criminals demanded a ransom of N100 million per person, threatening to kill the victims if the demands were not met.
After three days of continued violence, during which the family’s maid began vomiting blood and the husband sustained severe injuries, the couple’s son-in-law paid N15 million for their release.
Upon securing the ransom, the herdsmen instructed the transaction to be carried out through money changers at the MAIN market in Onitsha, hinting at a possible collusion with local financial operatives.
The family was released on Saturday, April 20, 2024, and the son-in-law rushed the severely traumatized and injured victims to a hospital in Asaba for urgent medical treatment.
In her message, the victim pleaded with Governor Soludo to take decisive action to secure the area and protect its residents: “Please stop them from wasting lives. Even as we are leaving, they brought two other boys captive. That bush is their base. Those boys will still be there now.”
Efforts to contact the Anambra State Police Command for comments were unsuccessful as the spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, did not respond to calls.
The victim’s entire message is reproduced below:
“I am a native of Ukwulu, married to Nawgwu. On the 17th of April, 2024, we came back to celebrate the marriage of my daughter. As we were driving to Ukwulu through Abba Junction, after ELDI, we saw cows crossing the road and stopped,” she wrote.
“Immediately, the cattle men blocked the road and brought out guns and ordered us into the bush.
“They tie our hand behind us. They started beating us. Some farmers saw us and look away. They did not help us.
“In the bush, they rape me and my maid before my husband every time without mercy. The third man tear my husband trousers and continue to rape him in the anus.
“They took our phone and ordered us to start calling our friends and family. They demand for N100 million for each of us or they will kill us.
“After 3 days of continuing to rape us by this cattle men, my maid was sick and vomiting blood.
“My husband is dying as his anus is torn to pieces. I cannot stand up properly due to continue rape. I am wishing I died in that bush.
“My son in law gathered 15 million and they direct him to MAIN market Onitsha to buy cash. It is obvious the fulani people are working with the money changers.
“They released us on Saturday and my son-in-law rush us to hospital at Asaba.
“Your Excellency please save your people by having that bush surrounded by security people. Please chase out these evil cowmen from Anambra.
“Please stop them from wasting lives. Even as we are leaving, they brought two other boys captive. That bush is their base. Those boys will still be there now.
“Please help call Igwe Ukwulu and Nawgwu to take responsibility. I am now a living dead due to fulani in my town. Even the villagers cannot react again maybe due to fear.”
