The police have apprehended four persons in connection to the alleged gruesome murder of a female student of the Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State.

The victim, a 17-year-old 100 Level Student of Biology Department of the university was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a 21-year-old man.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, made this known while addressing journalists in Lokoja.

Mr Ovye-Aya said that the main suspect allegedly conspired with three of his friends to commit the crime.

He 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 a ransom.’’

He 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, Paul Awe 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 later 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 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.’’

Mr 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 police spokesperson noted that the prime suspect disclosed that two of the three suspects were his friends, who aided him in committing the crime.

Mr Ovye-Aya said that the four suspects would be arraigned in court upon completion of investigation.

(NAN)