More details have emerged about the alleged killing of Aminu Abubakar, a fresh graduate of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, whose life was taken when armed robbers tried to steal his tricycle.
- +How suspects lured, killed ATBU graduate over tricycle — Kogi police
The Kogi State Police Command, in a statement on Wednesday, confirmed the arrest of suspects linked to the incident.
The Kogi State Police Command, in a statement on Wednesday, confirmed the arrest of suspects linked to the incident.
Salihu Oyiza Afusat , the command’s spokesperson, said the arrests followed a “well -coordinated, intelligence-led operation”.
“In a decisive breakthrough against violent crime, 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,” she said.
“The incident involved Abubakar, a resident of the Otokiti area of Lokoja, who had recently graduated and was awaiting mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps.”
Afusat disclosed that the victim left home on the day of the incident with his tricycle in search of daily income but did not return, prompting concern from his family.
His lifeless body was later discovered around the CBN area in Zone 8, Lokoja.
She said operatives of the Homicide Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department launched a detailed investigation, which led to the arrest of two suspects, identified as Garba Godwin Ibrahim and Ashema Usman Samson.
The police spokesperson revealed that the suspects allegedly posed as construction workers and lured the victim to a secluded location where they attacked him.
She said, “Investigation revealed that the suspects attacked the victim with a shovel. Autopsy results confirmed that he sustained multiple severe blows to the back of the head, resulting in fatal injuries.
“The suspects admitted the act was premeditated with the intention of dispossessing him of his tricycle”.
Afusat equally pointed out that the suspects stole the tricycle and sold it to one Kabiru Idris in Ayingba.
She said police operatives tracked and arrested Idris, and a search of his residence led to the recovery of the victim’s tricycle alongside four other motorcycles suspected to be stolen.
She disclosed that the suspect, admitted to dealing in stolen items and receiving them from criminal elements.
Further investigation showed that the two principal suspects are ex -convicts previously linked to armed robbery and homicide cases.
Afusat noted that the investigation had been concluded and the suspects had been charged before Magistrate Court 5 in Lokoja, where they were remanded in custody, adding that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Naziru Bello Kankarofi, commended the operatives for their professionalism and urged residents to remain vigilant and support the police with credible information.
This development follows the killing of a 25-year-old student of Federal University of Education, Kontagora in Niger State, who was stabbed to death during a celebration organised to welcome new students to the school.
