Wendy Achumba: Promising Nursing Student Killed For Rejecting Advances

ANGELA NKWO-AKPOLU writes about the death of 21-year-old Wendy Achumba, a nursing student killed for rejecting sexual advances. This incident has sparked outrage and renewed concerns over violence against young women.

The tragic death of 21-year-old Wendy Achumba, a nursing student, has sparked outrage and renewed concerns over violence against women.

For late Miss Wendy Achumba of Our Lady Nursing School, Umulogho, in the Obowo local government area of Imo State, her life was cut short abruptly, even before it blossomed.

Umuadara is one of the five villages that make up Umulogho Autonomous Community, Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State.

Her dream of practising as a Nurse and then seeking greener pastures abroad never materialised.

Allegedly raped and killed last week by her admirers, her death has left family, friends and colleagues devastated, while raising fresh questions about safety, respect for women and the consequences of unchecked misconduct.

Her death has ignited a wave of protests among women and girls in Umulogho against the growing violence targeted at women and girls.

Already, the community led by the traditional ruler of Umuadara Umulogho, Eze Patrick Uwalaka, and the people have held a solemn assembly to apologise to her spirit, appeal to God to exempt them from any repercussions as they had no hands in the dastardly killing.

The community collectively laid curses on the suspects and assured students and residents that their community is safe and home to all.

Wendy had just begun her post-basic training to become a certified midwife. Every time she walked to her school for nursing classes, a 34-year-old Vulcaniser named Onyema Okonkwo tried to get her attention.

At 21, Wendy didn’t want a boyfriend without a good-paying job, even as she toyed with the idea of marriage. She won’t deal with someone without a good-paying job as a boyfriend.

A young man, (name witheld)  threw out lucid jokes at her, and she decided to ignore him, which prompted the vulcaniser to consider how to deal with her.

Years ago, the young man was allegedly caught for trying to rape a teenage girl. It took the quick intervention of the locals around to stop him. Of course, he denied it to the heavens and swore with his life. After several appeals and assurances that it would not repeat, he was let off the hook. He was said to have paid the fine to the Youth Association and was allowed to remain in the community.

The suspect’s uncle, based abroad, was said to have permitted him to keep his vulcanising tools in his compound after each day’s work. It was to ensure a relative would occasionally look into the compound to keep away invaders and also provide the three female Nursing-tenants with some assurance if they needed immediate support to fix minor issues, like burnt-out electricity sockets and similar things tenants with some assurance if they needed immediate support to fix minor issues like burnt-out electricity sockets and stuff. Though in reality, he never did any maintenance jobs.

Wendy had returned from the day’s lectures exhausted. As would other young people like her, she ate her food and fiddled with her phone on what one could call social media ward rounds.

She was the only occupant in the compound because her co-tenants were currently undergoing their hands-on training in hospitals to improve their learning.

That night, Wendy locked the gate and her door as she normally would. She was asleep when she heard her door forced open.

The young man probably threatened her that if she screamed, she would be killed.

Almost immediately, the suspect with a friend followed and entered her room, both brandishing weapons. They ordered her to allow them to sleep with her, and that was where the scuffle started, but they overpowered her;  she was just 21 with no real experience of street fighting.

By daybreak, the Vulcaniser didn’t show up to carry his vulcanising tools, even though he had resumed quite early, but nobody suspected anything.

Then her boyfriend and her sister arrived at the community asking about her whereabouts.

Despite repeated calls, they couldn’t reach her, even though the gate showed an occupant still inside the compound.

Soon enough, panic set in, and somehow the gate was forced open to allow entry.

A peep from the window showed her lying lifeless in a pool of her blood. So the community vigilante operatives were alerted, and Police operatives arrived to ensure evidence was not tampered with.

By this time, the community was angry, especially the youths, asking who had committed the heinous act.

Suspiciously, the vulcaniser was nowhere near the building or the mourners.

According to the Youth leader in Umuadara and the Vice Youth President in Umulogho, Chidiebere Iweajunwa, the prime suspect, (name witheld), had access to the house but failed to come out for his business operations that day.

Iweajunwa said, “The vulcanizer became my prime suspect immediately i learnt of the crime because he’s attempted raping a small girl some years ago and was severely dealt with. Secondly, he has access to the compound as he keeps his vulcanising tools there. He’s also a brother to the caretaker.

“So, I mounted surveillance on him from the day of the crime and noticed that he didn’t come out as usual. Then I approached him on Monday and noticed some bruises on his neck and asked him how he sustained the injury, and he said it was the Lister generator’s handle,  which is impossible. At that point, I knew it was him.

“He also admitted to having gone to the house on Thursday morning, the day the girl was killed. I decided to take him to the Police for further investigation, but on the way, he admitted to having tried raping her, where he sustained the bruises. On arriving at the Police Station, he confessed to the crime and mentioned his friend as his accomplice”, the Youth leader said.

On how Wendy’s corpse was discovered, Iweajunwa said the late Wendy’s boyfriend came from Umuahia, Abia State, with Wendy’s younger sister, after they had called her several times but got no response.

Iweajunwa said, “The front gate where the tenants operate through was locked from inside, while the back gate is always locked from the outside, so they identified with the caretaker who unlocked the back gate and met Wendy, who was slaughtered. The building is a one-storey duplex with a paint (pent) house,  and the owners live abroad. Wendy and other student nurses live in the boys’ quarters. She was alone as her neighbours went for experience”.

On his part, the secretary of the Umuadara Obiwuruotu Youths Association, Pst Chrysolite Okonkwo, said late Wendy lived a few blocks from his house. Still, he didn’t know her, probably because people minded their own business.

He said the community embarked on protests while their traditional ruler, Eze Patrick Uwala, held a solemn assembly last Saturday, during which shops were locked. Public proclamations were made to seek God’s forgiveness.

Chrysolite said, “Normalcy has returned to our community as people feel safe that the perpetrators of the act have been apprehended and will face prosecution.”

The secretary further told LEADERSHIP Sunday that, during the incident, Wendy’s father was badly hurt, as Wendy had just resumed school about three months ago. She was settling in when she met her untimely death.

He said, “The senior Achumba was too shocked to say or do anything. I was one of those who carried her corpse to the morgue.

“However, she was not beheaded, but her attackers slit her neck. Masiru, Nurse Splendour, and I carried her remains to the mortuary. Three of us. And not with the ambulance, not with the stretcher, but with our bare hands. We wrapped her with her window’s cotton and carried her to the Mercy Mortuary because it was getting late, as the father was left helpless. Everything about her was intact. No part of her body was visibly missing. Go and verify.

“Please disregard any other news flying up and down that she was beheaded or that she was murdered inside the school premises, that’s not true, please. Nothing like that happened, please.

“It is so unfortunate that it happened in my own Umuadara. Just two poles away from my house. Umulogho and my Umuadara have mostly been a haven for all these students and staff nurses living here. Nothing like this has ever happened to anyone before. They lived closely with us with no form of harassment or disturbances”, he said.

Meanwhile, Maxwell Nwadike, a government-appointed mayor in Abia State, visited Mr. Achumba to commiserate with the family over Wendy’s death.

Nwadike, via his Facebook account, wrote: “I paid a condolence visit to the family of Elder Jerry Achumba with members of my cabinet to extend our heartfelt condolences following the tragic and gruesome killing of our daughter, Miss Wendy Achumba, an indigene of Umuokahia 2 in Ward 3, Obingwa LGA and a student of the College of Nursing, Umulogho, Obowo, Imo State, whose untimely death has continued to generate grief, outrage, and calls for justice across the South-East.”

“The visit is to encourage the deceased family to remain strong despite the irreparable loss caused by individuals who have no future but wickedly truncated the bright future of our daughter.

“I used that opportunity to assure the bereaved family that both the Abia State Government and Obingwa local government would continue to stand by them throughout this difficult period until justice is fully secured for their daughter”.

On her part, the Imo State director of Nursing Services (DNS), Mrs. Ucheamaka Oranusi, condemned in the strongest terms the killing of Chinwendu Achumba, allegedly carried out by a vulcaniser, Onyeoma Okonkwo, and his accomplice.

The director of Nursing Services noted that the murder of Miss Chinwendu Achumba was one death too many, considering her innocence, integrity and commitment to her studies, which made her resist the persistent advances and distractions of her assailants. She also prayed for the repose of her soul.

Meanwhile, students held a candlelight procession in honour of Wendy as academic activities gradually resumed, while the community struggles to regain its usual vibrancy.