A care worker who died saving her children from a knife attack in her family home has been described as a ‘mother to everyone’.
Alberta Obinim, 43, died after a knifeman attacked her family at their home in Gorton, Manchester at around 11.20pm on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses told the MEN how the 43-year-old reportedly plucked the child from their room and rushed them from the property.
But while saving the youngster, Alberta was stabbed by the assailant several times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Alberta’s daughter, 17, and husband, 64, are currently in hospital with life-threatening injuries, and a 22-year-old man ‘believed to be known’ to them has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A neighbour said she and her boyfriend rushed outside after hearing ‘moaning’ noises in the street only to find a small child hiding in their bushes.
Others were reportedly forced to flee their home as the knifeman launched a savage attack, with some even escaping through the windows, the Manchester Evening News reported.
In the aftermath, a colleague of the deceased woman laid a bunch of white roses at the scene. She told reporters the situation ‘didn’t seem real’.
‘She was amazing, she was lovely. I literally spoke to her last week,’ she told the MEN. ‘She was so kind and caring. It’s just a proper shock. She’s got a lovely family.’
Another eyewitness, who gave his name as Reese, said he was sitting in his car when he saw the knifeman ‘chase’ the girl down the street before stabbing her.
‘I heard the neighbours saying “get in, get in,”‘ he said.
‘There was a guy with a knife chasing a girl. I said “leave her alone, it’s not worth it”. She fell and he stabbed her.
‘I turned my car towards him but the girl was in the way,’ he added. ‘He started chasing my car with a knife.’
Another woman said she heard people ‘screaming’ and said she saw a young man ‘running in and out of the house’.
‘They were saying “he’s got a knife”, she said. ‘It was terrifying, People were staying inside, no one wanted to go out.’
Family friend Ibrahim Abu said Ms Obinim was a member of the city’s Ghanaian community and attended Blessed Baptist Temple, a Christian church in nearby Levenshulme.
Mr Abu said: ‘She was a very nice lady. I knew her very well. We all go to church together. She always talked to people and was a mother to everyone. She was always laughing.’
Derrick Wiafe, another family friend, described Ms Obinim as a ‘powerful and inspirational woman’.
Detective Superintendent Toby Facey said: ‘We understand that the local community and further afield across Greater Manchester will be rightly shocked and concerned after waking up and hearing this tragic news this morning.
‘Our thoughts remain with those affected and their loved ones at this difficult time. We are doing all we can to support them.
‘Within minutes of the call being made, our officers were at the scene and an arrest had been made.
‘An investigation has been launched and we are in the very early stages of our enquiries. We have had detectives on the ground who have been working throughout the night trying to get to the bottom of what has happened and why.
‘Local officers will remain in the area making enquiries, as well as an increased number of highly visible patrols. If you have any concerns, please speak to them.
‘We are appealing for any information; we would like to speak to anyone who had witnessed this incident to please come forward.
‘We are also interested in speaking to anyone who was in the surrounding area near to Barnard Road at around 11pm and have any dashcam footage, this might be a help for us in piecing together what happened.’
metro.co.uk