Nelly Akomah, 76, a senior member of the Methodist Church Nigeria, United Kingdom chapter, has been allegedly murdered by home invaders.

Akomah’s murder was not immediately known until her sister, who became incredibly distressed after she could not contact her, checked in to her residence on Ladbrook Road, Thornton Heath, south London, on Wednesday morning and found her lifeless.

Her neighbours revealed that her house CCTV system was compromised and house alarm disconnected the night before the burglars attacked her, Daily Mail reported.

Although police have launched a manhunt to track the perpetrators of the attack described by the church president as a “big blow”, no arrest has been made in connection with the incident.

Kamaleta Blake, a resident of the area, said she believed that 76-year-old Akomah’s house security had been disconnected before the attack.

“They are looking at murder now — it’s because she had a black eye. The alarm had been disconnected, and that’s why they are doing forensics,” Blake was quoted to have said.

Residents said Akomah was found at the base of the stairs. They described her as lovely and a strong member of the congregation.

“She was found at the bottom of stairs, we are told. The belief is that it was an intruder, maybe there to steal her stuff and she interrupted them,” another neighbour said.

“We are heartbroken; she was our neighbour for 20 years. A lovely churchgoing woman. She was always very well dressed. 

“She was not doddery; she was very strong and always out doing her own shopping. She certainly wouldn’t have just fallen down the stairs. Just a smart, smiley lady.”

Dame Susan Solanke, the church’s president, expressed her pain in a statement. “Sister Nelly, only last week we were all at a weekend retreat, full of life.You were such a valuable member of the mission who will be sorely missed. My heart is broken with this cruel, mindless and senseless attack. I pray God brings the culprits to book as soon as possible.”

Kate Blackburn, a detective chief inspector from Met Police’s Specialist Crime Squad, urged people to tone down social media posts on the incident to respect the privacy of the deceased’s family and allow the police do their investigation.

“I want to reiterate my appeal to the wider public. We need to know what led to Nelly’s sad death. If you haven’t already spoken to officers and you have information, footage or anything that could help our investigation, please do so without delay,” Blackburn said