How A Top NNPC Staff Was Brutally Murdered And Kept In Her Freezer

Chief Sa'adu Abdullahi, an Auchi-based legal practitioner, on Friday told an Abuja High Court how he and two of his in-laws discovered the corpse of his wife, Afshatu, in her deep freezer.

Mrs. Abdullahi, a mother of three and a top NNPC staff, was murdered on November 5, 2011 in her house located off Ladoke Akintola Boulevard, in Garki II.

The office of the Inspector-General of Police on February 16, arraigned Chiwendu Hart-Amanya, 30, Kenneth Chigozie, 21, and Ejike Igbe, 18, before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf on a six-count charge including felony and murder of Mrs. Afshatu Abdullahi.

The prosecution counsel, Sam Lough told the court that Hart-Amanya was the driver of the deceased, while Chigozie was the steward.

Igbe was arrested for being in possession of the deceased's cars (not one).

The prosecution said the offence contravened Sections 315, 316, 317 and 318 of the Penal Code.

It would be recalled that all the three accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At the resumed hearing on Friday, Abdullahi, husband of late Afshatu, told the court how the corpse of his wife was discovered in the kitchen freezer with deep cuts on her neck and other parts of her body.

Abdullahi told the court that during the last Eid-el Kabir holiday on November 6, 2011, Afshatu had called to say that she would be in Auchi for the celebration with her family.

He said she had called to tell him that she would come to see the family, and that after waiting for three days without hearing from her, he decided to come to Abuja to check her.

"When I got to Abuja, I went straight to the NNPC where she works and was told that no one had seen her.''

Abdullahi told the court that a search party that was organised, found only the security man, Ali Alpha in Afshatu's house, while the first and second, who live in the boy's quarters, were nowhere to be found.

He said that Alpha said he had not seen his madam for a few days and assumed that she had traveled.

"We broke into the house and found the place in disarray, with many expensive furniture missing and her jewelry gone; it was obvious the house had been burgled.

"While searching, my brother-in law, Tahiru Momoh, opened a deep freezer in the kitchen and we discovered my beloved wife's body inside it.

"We called the Police and in the cause of their investigations, neighbours told them (Police) that they saw the driver driving my wife's Infinity Toyota SUV some days earlier.

"The security man also told the Police that the driver (first accused) came back on the same day to take away the second 2011 brand of Toyota SUV.''

Abdullahi said that he was hospitalised for three days after the corpse of his wife was found in the freezer.
"I was shocked and shaken to my bone marrow", he said.

During cross-examination by counsel to the three accused, Mr. Paul Esewomo, Abdullahi debunked any rumours that he and his wife were separated.

Abdullahi also told the court that he loved his wife "100 per cent".

Justice Baba-Yusuf adjourned further hearing in the suit to Thursday and Friday, March 8 and 9.