Catholic Archbishop of
Onitsha, the Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, on Thursday joined calls for the
police to apprehend the killers of a 23-year-old lady in Awka Etiti,
Idemili South Local Government, Anambra State on July 29.
Miss Francisca Okoli was
killed after she resisted attempts by a five-man armed robbery gang to
rape her in the presence of her parents.
The archbishop, who
addressed reporters in Onitsha, described Franscica’s killing as “a wicked intention”.
He said the church was already investigating the incident, calling on the police to fish out the perpetrators.
Francisca’s father, Mr.
George Okoli, told reporters that the gang broke into his home around
4.30am on that fateful day with guns, cutlasses, cudgels and other
dangerous weapons.
He said, “My attempts to
save my daughter’s life failed when the robbers stabbed me with
cutlasses and other weapons and chased me out of the room where I saw
them tearing the dress and underwears of my daughter in a bid to rape
her.
“In the process, she was
beckoning on me and invoking the mercy of God and anybody that could
save her even though she posed a strong resistance against their move.
“Angered by her
continued resistance, the robbers made good their threat to kill her by
hitting her with pestle on the head, neck and waist.
“I could not do anything
because they locked us inside one room and one of them was at the door
threatening to kill us if we dare open the door.
“The gang searched the whole rooms in the house and stole cash and valuables.
“We waited until about
6.30am after the robbers had left with some of our belonging only to
discover that our daughter had been killed with bruises all over her
body, her head smashed with clubs suspected to be pestle and cutlasses.”
Rev. Fr. Peter Anene,
Manager in-charge of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Awka-Etiti said
he had known Francisca for sometime in the Parish, describing her as
“unassuming, hardworking and always at the chapel”.
Francis Cardinal Arinze, the former
Prefect, Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the
Sacraments, Vatican City, condemned the incident, saying it was “a
mindless killing” and “an atrocity meted to a helpless person”.
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......This is another rape case too many...it must stop! it must stop! Why raping...why????
Death upon all those that have committed this crime against girl & humanity!
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