The incident occurred at Umuejechi Nekede community in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state.
Our correspondent had yet to identify the identity of the woman but eyewitnesses told our correspondent that she lived in the neighborhood.
An eyewitness, Kingsley Ike, said the suspect had been a thorn in the flesh of residents of the area since he escaped from the correctional center.
He said, “The victim was a pregnant woman, who came out at the popular Ama-Ato junction, a route she plied during Sunday worship.
“The suspect accosted the woman and demanded money from her and when she refused, he stabbed her with a sharp knife and the pregnant woman bled to death.
“The suspect fled immediately he stabbed the woman but youths of the area pursued and apprehended him after several attempts to stab them.”
It took the intervention of police officers from the Ihiagwa Police Division to save the suspect from being lynched.
When contacted, the police spokesperson for the command, Micheal Abattam, said that he was awaiting a situation report from the division.
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