Benue Lady Killed By Suspected ritualists On Her Birthday

Dorcas Shangev, 32, has reportedly been murdered in Makurdi BENUE  state , Vanguard reports.

According to police reports, the 32-year- old  was  found with  some of her  vital  signs  missing which  suggest her  murder  must  have been  carried out  by suspected ritualists.

Ms Shangev's  body  was dismembered on her birthday,  in the Adem village,  near the Welfare Quarters  area of Makurdi, the Benue  state capital.

It  was  gathered that the deceased went  missing  about  a week  ago  until her dismembered  body  was  found dumped at Adem village, after her  body  parts  were  removed  by her murderers.

A  family  source of the deceased who relayed the  events  leading to her disappearance and  death disclosed that the incident  was already  generating controversy as her  family had  started  questioning the  manner her  remains  were recovered and buried  by the authorities.

The  family  source  said, “We  gathered that on Friday, July 14, 2023 Dorcas escorted  a friend of hers to the burial of her brother in-law. They  returned  back to Makurdi on Saturday after the burial. When they  returned, she didn’t  go  back  home  but slept at her  friend’s  house  around the  modern  market  area.

“The  next day, Sunday July  16 2023,  was her birthday  32nd birthday. She left her  friend’s  house with a promise  to call her  friend  by 3pm,  so that they can  sit out.

“However,  when she didn’t  call  back as arranged, the  friend  called to  find out why she hadn’t  called,  but she didn’t  pick her calls. The  friend  kept calling the  whole of Sunday and  continued  till Monday,  but she  still didn’t  pick the phone.

“On Monday, the  friend  got a message that  was  sent from the  lady’s (deceased) phone,  but  later on realised that she  may not  have been  the one that  actually  sent the message, asking her  to come to a  certain  address and  when her  friend  got to the place, she  discovered that she  was  dead and dismembered and  some of her  body  parts scattered  all over the place.

“While in a  state of  shock she  called her husband to the scene and the husband in  turn  called the police and it  was  discovered that her eyes, ears, tongue, breasts  among  other  body  parts  were  removed  and taken away  by whoever  may have perpetrated the act.

“When the Police  saw that the corpse had  started to decompose, they  called in  one of the Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency, BENSESA, which  came,  gathered the  body  parts  into a plastic bag and buried her.

“This deceased  lady  had been  through  a lot in  recent times. She had  gone  through one trauma and another. Only recently, she  lost her elder sister.”

When contacted, the  acting General Manger of BENSESA, Mr. Martin Tseuma, who  confirmed the  development  explained that the  agency buried the  lady  on the directives of the police.

He  said: “We didn’t  recover the  body. The police at ‘B’ Division wrote to us  that they have  discovered an unknown corpse at Adem village,  near Welfare Quarters.

“It  was  based  on the  report that they (Police)  said we  should evacuate the  body for burial and that  was what we did.

“We didn’t  contact  anyone  because how  do we  know the  family. But the  family  came to my  office this (Monday) morning and I directed them  to go  back to the police from  where we  got the  story of the unclaimed corpse. We  were  working  based  on the  report from the police.”

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene who  confirmed the  murder  said  investigation into  the matter  was ongoing.