The self-confessed serial killer Gracious David West told the media on Friday in Port Harcourt Rivers State that he kills whenever he has the urge.
West also said he killed to revenge his mother’s death who he claimed died of poisoning.
The man who claims to be a born again Christian worshiped in perhaps the biggest church in Rivers State, Salvation Ministries. Omega Power Ministries (OPM) was where he connected with the General Overseer who helped to rehabilitate and fix him up with a job in Owerri.
West who earlier gave his age as 26 now says he is 39. He also said he has killed young women in three states beginning from Ikeja capital of Lagos State.
Apparently, some of the hotels did not disclose the deaths in their facilities. Hotels that record deaths would usually come under police investigation; therefore in bid to avoid scrutiny it appears these hotels disposed the corpses thereby making themselves involuntary accomplices.
Gracious without grace says he was a member of a dreaded cult group in Rivers State named Demgbam, was also a militant.
He joined Federal University of Technology (FUTO) Owerri but soon stole students’ properties. He was expelled from the school and his job. The church in fact disowned and declared him wanted. That was in 2018. He killed in Owerri before returning to Port Harcourt to continue his menace.
The ex-militant said he cries and regrets his actions anytime he kills.
On Thursday, the state police command arrested West while en route Uyo from Port Harcourt after his video appeared on the internet from a hotel’s CCTV. That was the last operation he had. He was seen going into the hotel and up to the room with his victim a young woman following shortly after. He was later seen walking out the hotel.
Not less than eight young women have been murdered in different hotels in the in the past two months.
The bodies of these ladies were said to have been found in similar conditions – strangled and with pieces of cloth user to tie hands, legs and around their necks.
Speaking while being paraded on Friday, the suspect said he visited a church for help because he did know what is wrong with him.
“After doing it, I will start regretting and crying why I did it,” he said.
“I told a pastor that I kill girls in hotels that if he has a way of helping me because I don’t know what is wrong with me. So, the pastor told me that they have a crusade programme that Friday. He said he will take me to see the general overseer. We went for the crusade but I couldn’t see the general overseer.”
He confessed killing five girls in Port Harcourt; one in Owerri, Imo state capital, and another in Lagos.
“I am the one doing it. Whenever it comes on me, that is when I will do it. I will buy a kitchen knife and we will go to a hotel. After eating and making love, we sleep. After some time, I will wake the girl up, unknown to her. I will hold her on her neck and use the knife,” he said.
“I started the killing in Lagos. I took N52,000 from the bank account of the first girl I killed in Lagos. Thereafter, I went to Port Harcourt, then to Owerri and later returned to Port Harcourt.
“After I killed a girl, I collected her phone, and sold the phone at Waterlines and MTN office (areas in Port Harcourt). I met the last girl at a club in Port Harcourt.”
The suspect said he usually picked his victims from clubs and drinking bars.
David-West said before strangulating his victims, they usually pleaded for their lives by offering him money as well as details of their bank accounts.
He said after obtaining the victim’s ATM card and PIN and other belongings, he still killed them.
“So, I collect their ATM PIN, and after dawn, I go to ATM to withdraw money from the account. I usually use the money to get other girls,” he said.
“I don’t know what is making me to kill people. Immediately the urge comes, I kill, and after killing, I regret and feel sober. But later, I will still go and kill again.”
