The Kogi State Police Command has arrested four individuals in connection with the alleged kidnapping and murder of a 17-year-old female student of Federal University Lokoja.
The victim, a 100-level Biology student, was reportedly abducted and killed by a 21-year-old suspect, who allegedly conspired with three accomplices.
Police Spokesman Williams Ovye-Aya confirmed the arrests during a press briefing in Lokoja, the state capital.
According to Ovye-Aya, investigations revealed the main suspect collaborated with three friends to perpetrate the crime.
The Police Public Relations Officer said: “The Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, attached to the State Intelligence Department, Kogi Command, on September 11 arrested one Jeremiah Paul-Awe of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
“Paul-Awe was the one responsible for the kidnapping and killing of the victim.
“We received a complaint from one Stephen Oluwoyo that his daughter was missing and that he couldn’t reach her.
“The father further stated that he received a message from an unknown number that his daughter had been abducted and the abductor demanded for a ransom.”
Ovye-Aya, a Superintendent of Police said operatives promptly swung into action through an actionable intelligence with the assistance of the Technical Intelligence Unit from the Force Headquarters, trailed and arrested the suspect on September 11 in connection with the crime.
He added: “During interrogation, the suspect confessed that he kidnapped and killed the victim on September 4 at about 2030hrs.
“He further confessed that he drugged and strangled her.
“He mutilated her corpse by removing her eyes, lung, liver, tongue, intestines, and other parts and dumped the corpse in the bush.
“The suspect further disclosed that immediately he killed his victim, he placed a call to the father and demanded for a ransom to enable him meet up with the requirements for the rituals from a native doctor he met on TikTok.
“The father of the deceased, ignorant of her death, sent N400,000 as ransom to the suspect for her release.”
Ovye-Aya said that following Paul-Awe’s arrest on September 11, he led the team of operatives to the scene where the corpse was recovered, evacuated and deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja mortuary for autopsy.
He said that further investigation led to the arrest of the three other suspects.
The image maker said the prime suspect disclosed that two of the three suspects were his friends who aided him in committing the crime.
Ovye-Aya said that the four suspects would be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.
