Police arrest security guard over murder of retired Delta judge

Operatives of the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Delta State Police Command, have arrested a key suspect in the killing of a retired judge of the state High Court, Justice Ifeoma Okogwu (rtd).

The Police Public Relations Officer for the command, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Warri on Sunday.

He stated that “on December 6, 2025, operatives, acting on intelligence, arrested one Godwin Mngumi, 25, the security guard who allegedly murdered Justice Ifeoma Okogwu (rtd).”

Edafe said the suspect was arrested in Anambra State and that the phone of the late judge was recovered from him.

According to him, the suspect confessed that he invited his friend, one Nnaji Obalum, and another suspect who is still at large, to the house where they allegedly carried out the attack.

“Nnaji Obalum has also been arrested, while the manhunt for the third suspect is ongoing,” the PPRO added.

It was earlier reported that the retired judge, an Asaba-born former judicial officer, was found dead late Sunday, November 23, at her home located behind The Pointer Newspapers in Asaba.

She was discovered under disturbing circumstances that sparked tension across the state capital.

Findings showed that her killers bound her legs and hands and ransacked the entire house in what appeared to be a violent, targeted attack.

Following the murder, the night security guard assigned to the residence disappeared shortly after the incident, heightening suspicions of internal complicity.

The victim’s brother, Ogbueshi Okogwu, who broke the news of the death, said, “My eldest sister was murdered in her house on Sunday night. We only received the news on Monday morning, so we presume the incident happened during the night.

“A major red flag is the disappearance of the night security guard. The morning guard claimed he met the gate wide open when he arrived. He said he simply sat there. Sat there doing what? I do not know. I do not understand this situation at all.”

Okogwu added that the family provided the police with the identity and details of the private security company that deployed the guards.

He said the police detained the morning guard and invited the owner of the security outfit for questioning.

(NAN)