Catechist wanted for murder after illegal abortion claims teenage girl’s life
A catechist from St. Martin’s Parish in Mbape, Shangev-Ya Adikpo deanery, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, is currently at large following the death of a teenage girl he allegedly impregnated.
According to reports, Catechist Oliver Vershima attempted to perform an illegal abortion on the girl to conceal his actions. Tragically, the girl lost her life during the procedure.
A local resident, who spoke anonymously to our correspondent, explained that Oliver Vershima, the catechist, had impregnated a teenage girl who was attending the Catechism class. In an attempt to terminate the pregnancy using traditional methods, the girl tragically lost her life.
The informant stated that the catechist kept the girl’s corpse hidden and arranged for a motorcycle rider, commonly known as an “Okada,” to help him transport the body to a location where he could bury it. However, luck was not on his side, and he was apprehended.
Another resident of the community, who identified himself as Terhemba, told journalists on Tuesday that the incident took place the previous Saturday.
He revealed, “The catechist, Oliver Vershima, who was assigned to work at St. Augustine Zone, Jov Mbahura, was caught with the lifeless body of a woman on a motorcycle around 7 pm on Saturday.”
Terhemba continued, “Upon questioning him, it was discovered that Oliver had impregnated the woman and was attempting to terminate the pregnancy. Unfortunately, the woman lost her life in the early hours of that day (Saturday).”
“In an attempt to conceal his crime, the catechist hid the body in his room until nightfall, intending to remove it from the village and possibly flee,” Terhemba said.
“However, during his attempt to transport the body out of the village, he was caught but managed to escape amidst the chaos,” he added.
While the identity of the deceased woman is yet to be ascertained, Terhemba mentioned that she hailed from a neighbouring community.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer for the State Command, SP Catherine Anene, stated that the girl’s body had been recovered and deposited at the hospital morgue.
“We have recovered the corpse of the young girl who was reported to have visited her boyfriend. It was taken to the mortuary after we received the report. However, Oliver, the accused, is still on the run,” PPRO Anene said.
Anene also mentioned that investigations were ongoing, as the exact cause of death remains unknown.