Three suspects have been arrested by the Police for the kidnap and gruesome murder of a 55 year old woman, Janet Nnenna Ogbonnaya, who was murder on May 14, 2020 in Abuja.
The suspects, Johnson Emmanuel, 38, Gideon Emmanuel, 31, and Success Emmanuel, 27, who are of the same parents, and are native of Isiekenesi, Ideato LGA of Imo State were arrested by Police operatives attached to the Intelligence Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force in their home town.
They had taken refuge in their home town after committing the crime in Abuja, in order to evade police arrest.
According to Police report, investigations that led to the arrest of the suspects is sequel to complaints received from one Chinedu Ogbonnaya who alleged that his mother, Mrs Janet Nnenna Ogbonnaya, 55yrs, native of Ozuitem in Bende LGA of Abia State, had been kidnapped and a 5-Million Naira ransom demanded before she could be released.
When they were arrested, the suspects revealed that the victim had long been murdered and buried.
The victim, a widow, who had been a Facebook friend of the principal suspect – Johnson Emmanuel, was lured from her home in Gwagwalada to visit the suspect.
The suspect took advantage of the visit, served her yoghurt laced with drugs and subsequently had her murdered and her remains was buried in a septic tank.
He then reached out to the family of the victim using her phone and demanded 5-Million Naira ransom as pre-condition for her release.
According to the Police, on Monday, June 4 2020, the suspects led a team of investigators alongside pathologists to a residence at Wumba District, Lokogoma, Abuja, where the victim’s decomposing body was exhumed from a septic tank.
The exhumed body has been taken to the University Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja for forensic examination.
The Police also recovered a Toyota Highlander Jeep belonging to the deceased at a mechanic workshop in Apo where it had been repainted into a different colour.
The vehicle’s documents have also been fraudulently changed and ownership of the stolen vehicle has been criminally transferred to one of the suspects – Johnson Emmanuel.
Also, the house where the deceased was killed and buried, originally belonged to one of the suspects but was hurriedly sold-off to a third party apparently to obliterate evidence.
While commending the operatives for a job well done, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, reassures that perpetrators of any form of crimes in the country will not go undetected and unpunished.
He, however, enjoins citizens to be more security conscious and report any suspicious activities within their neighbourhood to the nearest police station.
