The Amutenyi Community in Obollo -Afor, Udenu Local Council of Enugu State is reeling in pain and shock over the death of five members of a family in their sleep on Friday night.
The Wife of a cleric identified as Adolphus Odo, her two children and two sisters had gone to sleep Friday night only to be discovered dead on Saturday morning.
The Police in the state have confirmed the death of the five persons and ordered an investigation to ascertain the cause of their death.
It was, however, gathered that one of the victims had an early morning appointment with a friend who went to their house to call her.
The friend was said to have called several times without response and had thereby raised an alarm.
Her alarm attracted neighbours who forced the door open only to discover the five of them dead.
Confirming the incident, the Council chairman, Solomon Onah, said the news had thrown the council area into mourning.
He said: “We saw their dead bodies early this Saturday morning. We are yet to identify the cause of the deaths but one of the victims had been taken to Enugu Metropolis for autopsy.
“When we went to their house, we saw a locally-made charcoal stove in the room where they died, though there was no fire on it. We cannot suspect generator fumes because they did not use the generator last night. We are yet to identify the cause of the incident until we get the result of the autopsy.”
MEANWHILE, Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the “sudden and unnatural death” of the five family members in Obollo-Afor community.
The Command’s spokesperson, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement yesterday, said the Command has ordered an investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the victims.
He said: “The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) to conduct a full-scale investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the sudden and unnatural death of one Mrs. Chinyere Odoh, her two children: Udochukwu Odoh ‘f’, 7 and Chukwuemeka Odoh ‘m’, 4, as well as her two sisters: Martina Ezeme and Ngozi Ezeme, in their apartment at Amutenyi in Obollo-Afor community of Udenu Local Council, which was reported at about 9: 25 a.m. of October 8, 2022.
“The Commissioner, while describing the incident as unfortunate and expressing his condolences to the family members and friends of the deceased persons, has further directed that the investigation be thoroughly carried out and concluded within the shortest possible time.
“Meanwhile, preliminary investigation reveals that the said deceased persons went to bed the previous night and were not seen in the morning.
“However, their lifeless bodies were found in two separate rooms they slept in, when Police Operatives from Udenu Police Division of the Command, who swiftly responded to a distress call on the incident, force-opened the doors of the rooms.
“They were immediately moved to the hospital and confirmed dead by doctors on duty, and their corpses were deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy. Further development will be communicated.”
