The Bureau of Political and Social Re-orientation, Governor’s Office, Plot 49, Edet Akpan Avenue, Uyo in Akwa Ibom State did not witness unusual human traffic on Tuesday, January 12.
Two days before, a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Chidinma Odume, who was serving in the Planning, Research and Statistics Department of the Bureau had allegedly hacked his boyfriend to death on Sunday.
At the reception of the bureau sat corps members of Batch A 20/21 in a circular form and what they discussed was not heard by visitors.
Not long, they dispersed to their different places of assignment in the bureau while others left for outside engagements.
However, Chidinma, a graduate of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, currently serving there and about to pass out in February this year was not among; but was cooling her feet in the police custody.
Mum was the word as some corps members and staffers of the bureau who initially refused to speak to Straightnews did so in hushed voices about the sad incident.
”Sir, we are not permitted to speak on the issue. But she was an easy going girl. We heard that the boy who was killed used to disturb single girls along the street. It could be he disturbed her and in the process fight broke out and the girl killed him,’’ a corps member spoke on condition of anonymity.
A junior staffer who spoke to the online newspapers anonymously said ‘’I knew the girl. She served in the Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS) Department. Every day, she came and hawked fish pie in the bureau.
”After that, she would leave for her residence. She did not concentrate in working in the department as expected of a corps member because of her business inclination.’’
Another junior staffer said ”She used to look calm and quiet. She looked harmless, but we are shocked hearing that she allegedly killed. She used to be hawking fish pie from office to office.’’
A senior staffer confided in the newspapers ”She looked withdrawn from people. Once she sold her product, she had to leave. She was not close to us. Even in her department, she rarely, if at all, she even steadied, was not working there.’’
Virtually, all the staffers spoken to Straightnews discreetly confirmed that she was withdrawn from staffers in the office.
In a video that went viral she was being beaten and cursed by some men who appeared to be from the community where the incident occurred.
The video, the mob poured Premium Motor Spirit to lynch her, but the arrival of armed police officers at the scene prevented the mob from lynching the woman who was later driven out of the place in a police truck.
Photos showed the murder victim, identified simply as Akwaowo, lying in a pool of blood inside his room.
An eyewitness, Godwin George, said: “She macheted a young guy to death this morning, whom she went out with.
According to George, a Facebook user, ‘’She killed the young guy instantly after inflicting several cuts on his stomach and face; on trying to jump out from the fence she was caught.
“Some bike men there said she used to send them to buy weed for her ever since she was deployed to Akwa Ibom for her NYSC.”
The police in Akwa Ibom State have confirmed the arrest of NYSC member who reportedly killed a man she spent a night with.
The police spokesperson in the state, Odiko MacDon, said Ms Paschaline is being treated as a murder suspect.
“She was arrested because she murdered (killed) one Akwaowo Japheth,” Mr MacDon, a superintendent of police, told PREMIUM TIMES, Monday.
“We got a distress call, we responded to that distress call at 219 Abak Road, Uyo. When we got there they were at the verge of lynching her, so we had to rescue her. Preliminary investigation revealed that she and the guy went out to the guy’s house.
”She said that the guy, in his house, brought out a machete and said he wants to kill her. She said she acted in self-defence, picked up the machete and used it on him.
“The CP (commissioner of police) has ordered a very ‘discreet’ investigation. As I speak, we have her in custody and as soon as we are done with our investigation, that matter will be charged to court.”
Julius Amusan, the NYSC coordinator in Akwa Ibom State, confirmed that Ms Paschaline is a corps member serving in the state.
Amusan said the incident was “very sad and unfortunate”.
However, an alleged boyfriend of Odume Princess Paschaline has taken to his official Facebook account to tell people that he is alive and was never a victim of Princess Paschaline’s murder case.
It appears this man was another boyfriend definitely not the dead as confirmed by police.
The young man identified as Henry Ephas who is allegedly Princess’s boyfriend recently posted on Facebook Tuesday, January 11, 2021, telling everyone that he is alive and was not killed by Princess.
Seen to packing crayfish into different bags, the man said ”he is where he is struggling to cater for his daily bread and people should stop sending ‘Rest in peace’ messages to him.’’
According to Henry Ephas: “Please let it be known to the public that I am much alive for those of you who think that I was killed by princess ‘Odume Princess Paschaline’ It’s a pure lie because I am alive and I am not the victim, for those of you that is thinking something else.
‘‘I dey where I dey struggle for my daily bread. I am very much alive, please stop sending me. There is no bond between the living and the dead.”