Federal University Lokoja Student Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping and Murder of Female Colleague

Federal University Lokoja Student Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping and Murder of Female Colleague

  • Kogi State Police have arrested Jeremiah Paul, a 100-level Biology student, for the kidnapping and murder of his colleague, Abigail Damilola
  • Jeremiah confessed to abducting Damilola, demanding a ransom, and subsequently killing her to prevent exposure
  • Police tracked and arrested Jeremiah after he demanded an additional ransom, leading to the discovery of Damilola's body

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Jeremiah Paul, a 100-level Biology student at the Federal University Lokoja, in connection with the death of his female colleague, Abigail Damilola.

Jeremiah, who hails from Kaduna State, confessed to abducting Damilola and demanding a ransom of N400,000 from her family. After receiving the ransom, he took her to an uncompleted building where he ended her life.

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Federal University Lokoja student arrested for alleged kidnapping and murder
Federal University Lokoja student arrested for alleged kidnapping and murder. Photo credit: X/Nigerian Police
Source: Getty Images

Subsequently, he contacted her family again, demanding an additional N10 million. However, police were able to track him down and arrest him.

Police nab FUL student over alleged abduction

During interrogation, Jeremiah claimed he acted alone and denied mutilating Damilola’s body, despite police findings suggesting otherwise.

He stated that he killed her because she had seen his face and he did not want her to escape and expose him.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, confirmed the incident during a telephone interview on Thursday. Aya explained that the deceased was reported missing, which prompted the police to take action, leading to Jeremiah's arrest.

“The case of a missing person was reported to the police and our officers swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspect, Jeremiah Paul, a 21-year-old 100-level student of Federal University, Lokoja. He was arrested on Wednesday and when interrogated, he said he kidnapped the girl on September 4,” Aya said.

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“The suspect said he kidnapped her and demanded a ransom of N400,000 from the parent. According to him, after collecting the money, he strangled the girl and mutilated her body. He then buried her body in the Lokoja area. Yesterday, Wednesday, he led the police to the scene where he buried the girl.”

A video shared on social media shows Jeremiah confessing to the crime, claiming it was his “first time.” Aya disclosed that the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the mortuary.

“Investigation is still on to be sure if there are still other persons involved in the killing,” he added.

Army hands over suspected killer

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that in a significant development, 23-year-old Ayomide Adeleye has been handed over to the Lagos State Police Command by the 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army.

The handover, which took place today, September 5, 2024, at approximately 1400hrs, was announced by SP Benjamin Hundeyin on X (formerly Twitter).

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Basit Jamiu avatar

Basit Jamiu (Editor) With more than 5 years of experience in the media (Ikeja Bird, Prime Progress, The Movee), Basit Jamiu works as an editor at Legit Nigeria. He started his journalism career after graduating from Ekiti State University in 2018. He is a 2024 Open Climate Fellow (West Africa), 2023 MTN Media Fellow, OCRP Fellow at ICIR, and Accountability Fellow at CJID. He can be reached via basit.jamiu@corp.legit.ng.