Widow Seeks Justice in Etche as Rivers Community Demands Return of Slain Man’s Body

Grief and anger are mounting in Rivers State following the killing of Shedrick Chikwem in Etche Local Government Area, as his widow, Glory Shedrick, has appealed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and security agencies to intervene and ensure that her husband’s body is recovered for burial and those responsible are brought to justice.

Speaking amid rising community tension, the young widow said her husband was shot dead in broad daylight by armed assailants who later carted away his corpse, leaving the family without closure weeks after the incident. She described the killing as brutal and heartbreaking, calling on the state government, the Senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District, Senator Allwell Onyeso, and the Etche Local Government Chairman to urgently step in.

“I am begging the government and security agencies to help us,” she pleaded. “My husband was murdered and his body taken away. We only want his remains back so we can bury him properly and allow his soul rest.”

Glory Shedrick also urged the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, to intensify investigations into the killing. She alleged that a man identified as Elijah masterminded the attack and insisted that justice would only be served when the perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted.

According to her account, the gunmen invaded the apartment of her husband’s elder brother and opened fire, killing Chikwem on the spot before fleeing with his body. She called on well-meaning Nigerians to lend their voices to the demand for justice and the recovery of her husband’s remains.

The call was echoed during what seems like a protest in Port Harcourt, where women from the Rumu-Meshie family gathered to demand action. The women leader of the family, Gladis Ukachukwu, accused the same suspect, Elijah, of having a direct hand in the killing and urged security agencies to compel him to return the corpse.

Ukachukwu cited what she described as suspicious actions following the murder, including the alleged deployment of police personnel to guard the suspect’s residence shortly after the incident and what she termed an open celebration of Chikwem’s death. She also linked the killing to unresolved tensions within the community over autonomy struggles.

The murder has continued to reverberate across Etche, especially following reports that suspected thugs had, on December 17, 2025, stormed a community meeting venue, firing sporadically and killing Chikwem. The incident reportedly led to the arrest of the community’s paramount ruler on the directive of the local council chairman and his subsequent dethronement.

As investigations continue, the family and community members insist that beyond arrests, the immediate priority is the recovery of Shedrick Chikwem’s body. They say only then can justice, healing and peace begin to return to Etche.