WINDHOEK - It is exactly a year today, since Cheryl Avihe Ujaha was murdered in a heinous crime that sparked public outrage. To date, no arrest has yet been made by the police investigators in this case. The unknown perpetrator(s) are still at large. Ujaha was a bright, Grade 3 pupil at Gammams Primary School in Khomasdal. She was 9-years-old at the time of her passing.
New Era revisited the dreadful incident that left the nation reeling from shock.
Khomas Regional Police Crime Investigation Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Abner Agas said no arrest(s)have been made but they are still investigating the matter and trying to follow up leads.
“We are investigating the murder of Avihe, the public may be under the impression that because the police took long to arrest the suspect, the police has stopped investigating the matter. We have not stopped,’’ he stated
Agas said the fact that the case takes long without any arrest should not be an issue.
“Even if the case takes long, if new information comes at the end of the day, the suspect may be brought to justice. But it all depends on the information we are receiving. We are hard at work to find the killer with the assistance of the members of the public. We haven’t stopped investigating the matter. We are still proceeding,” assured Agas.
Asked how many people were brought in for questioning, Agas stated he couldn’t provide the exact figures but a number of people were questioned including friends and relatives. He explained that questioning these people does not mean they are suspects but were questioned to provide information. Agas further stated that he could not share what they said with the media.
He called on the public to come forth with information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect. He said the N$110 000 reward is still there.
Agas confirmed that there was DNA samples sent to South Africa for analysis but did not to get into details, as this will jeopardise their investigation.
When approached for comment, Ujaha’s aunt Batseba Kaimu-Hengari who was her school principal told the reporter that they didn’t want to narrate anything to the media a year later on. “We want closure,” she said.
Ujaha’s case started with a search after she had gone missing from her home in Clemence Kapuuo Street on August 26 last year.
Her mutilated body was found on 28 August, two days later in a riverbed near Staanvas in Katutura.
Following her passing, the police released an artist’s rendition on the clothes Ujaha was last seen wearing. She wore a striped jumpsuit, slippers and bracelet that are still missing. Anyone with information regarding the murder should contact Deputy Commissioner Abner Agas on 0811242649.