The Police have arrested three brothers in connection with the murder of a woman, Mrs. Janet Ogbonnaya, a mother of five children, in Abuja.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Frank Mba, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, stated that the suspects, from Isiekenesi, Ideato Local Government in Imo, are helping Police investigation into the murder, which occurred in May.
Though the names of the suspects were not given, Mba said that the suspects were arrested by the Police in their home town where they allegedly fled to after committing the crime in Abuja.
He said their arrest followed complaints by one Chinedu Ogbonnaya, who alleged that his mother, Janet, 55, a native of Ozuitem in Bende Local Government Area of Abia, had been kidnapped and that N5 million ransom was being demanded by the kidnappers to secure her release.
“A comprehensive and painstaking investigation by Police operatives resulted in the arrest of the three suspects, who, in the course of interrogation, revealed that the victim had long been murdered and buried.
“Further findings revealed that the victim, a widow, who had been a Facebook friend of the principal suspect, was lured from her home in Gwagwalada, Abuja to visit the suspect.
“The suspect took advantage of the visit, served her milk laced with drugs, and subsequently murdered her,” he said.
According to the FPRO, the victim was buried in a septic tank after which the suspects reached out to the family, using her phone, to demand N5 million ransom to secure her release.
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Mba said that the suspects, on Thursday, led a team of investigators alongside pathologists to a residence at Wumba District, Lokogoma area of Abuja, where the victim’s decomposing body was exhumed from a septic tank.
The exhumed body, he said had been taken to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital for forensic examination, while a Toyota Highlander Jeep belonging to the deceased had also been recovered at a mechanic workshop in Apo, where it had been repainted into a different colour.
Mba said that the vehicle documents had been fraudulently changed with ownership of the stolen vehicle criminally transferred to one of the suspects.
According to the Police spokesman, investigation also revealed that the house where the deceased was killed and buried originally belonged to one of the suspects but was hurriedly sold to a third party to conceal evidence.
He said the Inspector-General of Police had commended the team of police investigators for their diligence in investigating the matter.
“Already, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has commended the team of Police operatives for a job well done. He has also pledged that perpetrators of crimes will not go undetected and unpunished.
“The Police helmsman has also enjoined citizens to be more security conscious and report any suspicious activities within their neighbourhood to the nearest Police Station,” the statement added.
