By: Ikenna Oluka
A heavy downpour in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State, has left the family of Nwoko in tears as their 23-year-old daughter, Chukwusom Nwoko, reportedly got drowned in a flood following a heavy downpour.
Information reaching News Express has it that the deceased was going home from work in company of two of her colleagues when the rain started and they decided to take shield in a nearby shop within Ochanja market roundabout.
The rain, which was said to have started shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari’s departure from the city on Thursday, lasted for over an hour.
According to a resident of the area, who spoke to News Express, he said that few minutes after the trio settled in front of the shop to wait for the downpour to ease, the shop owner told them to leave, saying that he wanted to close for the day.
The source who pleaded anonymity said: “The girls pleaded with him to allow them stay a little as it was still raining heavily but the man ignored them and was busy locking up his shop.”
He alleged that two of the girls left the shop in anger and crossed the deep drainage in front of the man’s shop with the aid of a plank used as a makeshift bridge.
“When the deceased girl made to cross the drainage filled with flood, the man raised the plank while she was on it and she fell into the gutter that was covered with flood because of the heavy downpour.
“On seeing that she has drowned, he briskly shut his shop and ran away before sympathisers and on-lookers who defied the rain to rescue the girl rushed to the scene,” he said.
It was however learnt that the body of Ms Nwoko was later recovered and taken to Borromeo Hospital morgue.
Speaking to journalists, the father of the girl, Mr. Ndubuisi Nwoko, accused the shop owner of killing his daughter, saying that the shop owner has absconded and is yet to be seen since after the incident.
He said: “I have lodged the matter at Fegge police station and we have gone to the mortuary where the police took photographs of the corpse.
“I want to see the killer of my daughter who was doing the work to keep herself busy while waiting to gain admission into the university.”
Confirming the incident, the Divisional Police Officer of Fegge Onitsha, Mr Garba Rabiu, said the suspect was still at large.
He said: “We are looking for the man; he has not been seen since the incident happened.”