A 23-year-old nursing student has been found dead inside her apartment in Uruezeani, Alor, in the Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, sparking a murder investigation by the state police command.

The deceased, identified as Chiamaka Chilaka, was an ND II student at the College of Nursing Sciences, Alor, and a native of Isingu in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State.

She was discovered lifeless on Sunday, shortly after a church service, leaving residents and fellow students in deep shock and mourning.

Police operatives who visited the scene observed a deep cut on the deceased’s thigh, other visible marks of violence on her body, and bloodstains around the scene in findings that strongly suggest she may have been murdered. Accounts circulating on social media alleged that the deceased had repeatedly rejected unwanted advances from her landlord, and that she was last seen engaged in an altercation with him before her death. A viral video also emerged showing a cleric wailing uncontrollably at the scene, crying “My daughter, my daughter” in visible distress.

The Anambra State Police Command confirmed that the landlord of the premises has been taken into custody and is currently undergoing interrogation.

Commissioner of Police CP Ikioye Orutugu directed investigators to fast-track the probe, which has since been transferred from the Nnobi Divisional Police Headquarters to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Awka for a more thorough and discreet inquiry.

The body has been deposited at a mortuary pending an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga assured the public that investigations are ongoing and that anyone found culpable will be brought to justice. The case has sparked widespread outrage across Nigeria, with many calling for swift justice for the young student who had her life cut short on the verge of a promising healthcare career.