The Intelligence Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force has arrested three brothers for the kidnap and murder of a mother of five in Abuja.
The suspects – Johnson Emmanuel (38yrs), Gideon Emmanuel (31yrs), and Success Emmanuel (27yrs) – were arrested by the police in their hometown in Imo State where they had taken refuge after committing the crime in order to evade police arrest.
The victim, Mrs Janet Nnenna Ogbonnaya, 55-year-old native of Ozuitem in Bende LGA of Abia State, was killed after visiting Johnson in his home, according to Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba.
Mba said, “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 thereafter took advantage of the visit, served her yoghurt laced with drugs and subsequently had her murdered.
“The suspect having killed the victim and buried her remains in a septic tank, went ahead to reach out to the family of the victim using her phone and demanded N5m ransom as pre-condition for her release.”
Mba revealed that the suspects on Thursday (today) 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.
He added, “A Toyota Highlander SUV belonging to the deceased has also been recovered by police operatives at a mechanic workshop in Apo where it had been repainted into a different colour, vehicle documents fraudulently changed and ownership of the stolen vehicle criminally transferred to one of the masterminds of the crime – Johnson Emmanuel.”
Investigations also revealed that 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 conceal evidence.
