In relation to the murder of a recent Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University graduate, the Kogi State Police Command has detained suspects and found his stolen tricycle.
The arrest was the result of a “well-coordinated, intelligence-led operation,” according to a statement released early on Wednesday by ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, the command’s spokesperson.
“The Kogi State Police Command has successfully dismantled a deadly criminal operation, leading to the arrest of notorious suspects involved in a gruesome case of culpable homicide and armed robbery, as well as the recovery of stolen tricycles and motorcycles,” the statement read.
She claimed that Aminu Abubakar, a resident of Lokoja’s Otokiti neighborhood who had just graduated and was awaiting mobilization for the National Youth Service Corps, was involved in the incident.
Afusat clarified that the victim’s family became concerned after he failed to return after leaving the house on the day of the incident with his tricycle in quest of daily revenue.
Later, his body was found near the CBN area in Zone 8, Lokoja.
She stated that after a thorough investigation by members of the State Criminal Investigation Department’s Homicide Unit, two suspects—Garba Godwin Ibrahim and Ashema Usman Samson—were taken into custody.
According to the police spokeswoman, the suspects allegedly pretended to be construction workers and enticed the victim to a remote area where they attacked him.
“The investigation showed that the suspects used a shovel to attack the victim,” she said. His fatal injuries were caused by repeated severe blows to the back of his skull, according to autopsy reports. The suspects acknowledged that the act was planned with the goal of taking his tricycle away from him.
According to Afusat, the suspects sold the tricycle to a Kabiru Idris in Ayingba after stealing it.
The victim’s tricycle and four other suspected stolen motorcycles were found during a search of Idris’ home, according to her, after police officers located and detained him.
She claimed that the suspect acknowledged dealing in stolen goods and obtaining them from criminal elements.
The two main suspects are ex-convicts who have been connected to homicide and armed robbery crimes, according to further research.
Afusat reported that the investigation was finished and the accused were charged before Lokoja’s Magistrate Court 5, where they were placed under remand.
She further mentioned that CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state’s commissioner of police, praised the officers for their professionalism and asked the public to be watchful and provide reliable information to the police.
