Operatives attached to the State Intelligence Department (SID) of Kogi State Police Command have arrested 21-year-old Jeremiah Paul Awe of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State for allegedly kidnapping and killing a 17-year-old Damilola Abigail Olowoyo, a 100 Level Student of Biology Department of Federal University, Lokoja, for ritual purpose.
Later recovered was the mutilated remains of the girl where it was hidden by the suspect.
Thenewsbearer learnt that the suspect was arrested on Wednesday, September 11, at about 4:15pm.
He was paraded by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, along with three other suspects, including Barnabas Olugbenga (20), Ajani Basit Ayomide (20) and Emmanuel Otitoju (24). They were said to have aided the crime committed by the principal suspect.
Briefing journalists on Awe’s arrest, the PPRO said that it followed a complaint received by the police on September 6 from one Stephen Olowoyo that his daughter, Damilola, was missing, and that her mobile phone number could not be reached after her examination on September 2.
The father further stated that he received a message from an unknown mobile phone number that his daughter Damilola had been abducted and the abductor demanded for a ransom.
“The operatives promptly swung into action through an actionable intelligence with the assistance of the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU) from the Force Headquarters, trailed and arrested the suspect, one Jeremiah Paul Awe on 11/09/2024 in connection with the crime.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to have kidnapped and killed the victim, Damilola on September 4, at about 8:30pm.
“He further confessed that he added a drug (codeine) into a drink, gave it to her to make her weak and lured her into a nearby bush close to his lodge at Felele area of Lokoja where he strangled her to death.
“He thereafter mutilated her eyes, lungs, liver, tongue, intestines and fleshy parts of her buttocks and then dumped her remains in the bush.
“He further disclosed that immediately he killed his victim, he placed a call to the father and demanded a ransom to enable him meet up with the requirements for the ritual as demanded by the native doctor he met on TikTok.
“The father of the deceased sent the sum of N400,000 as ransom, unknown to him that his daughter was already dead,” the PPRO explained.
He continued: “On September 11, the suspect led the team of operatives to the scene where the corpse of late Damilola was recovered, evacuated and deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja mortuary for autopsy.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of three other suspects, (Barnabas Olugbenga, 20 years old from Kaduna State; Ajani Basit Ayomide of Felele, 20 years old; and Emmanuel Otitoju, 24 years) two of whom are his friends who aided the commission of the crime.
“Suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of the investigation.”
