A middle-aged woman, Mrs. Victoria Odeh, has been killed in what is believed to be a cult-related attack connected to a long-standing property dispute involving her son and her late husband’s family.
Mrs. Odeh, a native of Igbogili Abavo in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, whose family resides in Agbor Kingdom, Delta State, was reportedly murdered in the early hours of Friday, December 19, 2025.
It was learned from a close family source that the late Mrs. Odeh and her first son, Amechi Ikechukwu, had been under threat to their lives over a borrow-pit dispute which had claimed two lives. The borrow-pit, located at Obosi in Anambra State, was an inheritance of late Mr. Ikechukwu Odeh, who passed away in 2008, with a written will stating that ownership should be transferred to his first son, Amechi.
According to the source, trouble started after the reading of the late Odeh’s will, which reportedly transferred operational control of the borrow pit to his son, Amechi Ikechukwu. The development allegedly caused discontent among relatives of the late Mr. Odeh, who had previously benefited from the borrow pit’s resources.
The source further claimed that it was in 2021 that Amechi returned to take control of his father’s borrow pit. His paternal family reportedly required him to swear an oath at the Ikenga shrine as a condition to claiming the will’s provisions granting him ownership of the borrow pit, which he refused on the condition that it is against his Christian faith.
On 5 March 2021, Igbinioba Daniel Victor and Chukwuka Chukwunoso—who were reportedly engaged to work at the borrow pit by Amechi—were killed under circumstances believed by the family to be linked to the dispute.
Following the incident, Amechi reportedly went into hiding after allegedly receiving threats from individuals claiming to be members of the Black Axe confraternity, who vowed to avenge the death of their alleged member, Igbinioba and Chukwunoso.
The family source further stated that Mrs. Odeh had been involved in disputes with her late partner’s relatives over property rights, amid claims that she was not legally married to the deceased. She was allegedly described by the family as a “girlfriend,” despite having a child with him.
It was also gathered that before her death, Mrs. Odeh had been ordered by the High Court judge sitting in Agbor, Delta State, on Friday, 12 December 2025, to produce her son, Amechi, for further proceedings.
Although the matter was reportedly referred to the police, the source claimed that no thorough investigation was conducted to resolve the dispute or promote peace.
As of the time of filing this report, police authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the incident, and no arrests had been confirmed. Investigations are ongoing to determine the true circumstances surrounding Mrs. Odeh’s death.
Culled from the Catholic Beacon Newspaper, December 2025 edition.
