VIDEO: “Abakaliki Must Go”: Anambra Women Protest Killing of 23-Year-Old Mmesoma Over Breakup
Women in Uga, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, have staged a protest over the gruesome killing of 23-year-old Mmesoma Umeorini, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, Chima Ofoeke, from Ebonyi State.
The protesting women, under the aegis of Umu-Ada Uga, gathered at the police area command in Uga, demanding justice for the deceased. They also called for the expulsion of people from Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, living in their community.
In a video obtained by Ibom Focus , the women were seen chanting dirge songs and expressing anger over Mmesoma’s death.
Some of the protesters, speaking in Igbo, described people from Abakaliki as “Boko Haram” and chanted, “Abakaliki must go. They have killed us. They are Boko Haram, and we don’t need them among us.”
A woman who appeared to lead the protest said the demonstration was organised to demand justice for Mmesoma, stressing that the victim’s decision to end her relationship with the suspect did not justify her killing.
“We are protesting against the killing of Mmesoma by her ex-boyfriend. That she rejected him doesn’t justify her killing,” she said in Igbo.
The protest comes amid growing tensions in Uga following reports of reprisal killings involving individuals from Ebonyi State.
Human rights lawyer Ikechukwu Obasi had earlier raised the alarm over what he described as a disturbing pattern of extrajudicial killings in the community. He reportedly disclosed that two young men from Abakaliki had been killed in reprisal attacks, with threats to target eight more.
Obasi condemned the alleged reprisal attacks, describing them as “insensitive collective punishment” and a “crime against humanity.” He called on Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo and the police to urgently deploy security personnel to prevent further bloodshed.
Mmesoma was reported missing on Friday, October 16, 2026, before her decomposing body was discovered inside a bag in Uga on Friday, October 23.
The suspect, who identified himself as Emmanuel and was also identified as Chima Ofoeke, allegedly confessed in a viral video that he killed Mmesoma after she ended their relationship.
“I killed her because she broke up with me. I killed her in my house in Uga, put her inside a bag and dumped her somewhere,” he reportedly said while being questioned by security operatives.
The Anambra State Police Command subsequently confirmed the suspect’s arrest.
According to the police, Mmesoma’s mother had reported her disappearance to the Divisional Police Officer of Umuchu Division after efforts to locate her proved unsuccessful.
Acting on intelligence, police operatives worked with members of the Agunechemba security outfit in Uga to apprehend the suspect.
The police spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the suspect allegedly confessed during preliminary interrogation to killing the deceased following the breakdown of their relationship and led detectives to where her remains were recovered.
Ikenga added that the Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Oji Ama, had ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for a comprehensive investigation.
As investigations continue, residents have called for calm to prevent further violence and avert an escalation of tensions between communities from Anambra and Ebonyi states.
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