The Kogi State Police Command have arrested three suspects in connection with the brutal killing of a fresh graduate of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, while also recovering the victim’s stolen tricycle in a follow-up operation.
The victim, Aminu Abubakar, a resident of the Otokiti area of Lokoja, had recently graduated from the university and was awaiting mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
According to a statement issued in the early hours of Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, the arrests followed a coordinated intelligence-led operation by operatives of the Kogi State Police Command.
His life was tragically cut short after he left home in search of daily income and never returned, raising alarm among family members and community residents.
According to the police spokesperson, the case was swiftly taken up by operatives of the Homicide Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department.
Through what she described as a “well-coordinated, intelligence-led operation,” investigators tracked down key suspects believed to be responsible for both the murder and robbery.
Preliminary findings revealed that the suspects allegedly posed as construction workers to deceive the victim. They reportedly lured him to a secluded area in Lokoja, where they attacked him with a shovel. An autopsy later confirmed that the victim sustained multiple severe blows to the head, leading to fatal injuries. Investigators also determined that the crime was premeditated, with the primary motive being to dispossess him of his tricycle.
Following the attack, the suspects fled with the stolen tricycle, which they later sold to an individual identified as Kabiru Idris in Anyigba. Police operatives tracked and arrested Idris, leading to a significant breakthrough in the case. A search of his residence resulted in the recovery of the victim’s tricycle, along with four other motorcycles suspected to be stolen.
Further investigation revealed that the two main suspects, Garba Godwin Ibrahim and Ashema Usman Samson, are ex-convicts with prior involvement in armed robbery and homicide-related offenses.
Afusat said the investigation has been concluded and all the suspects have been arraigned before Magistrate Court 5 in Lokoja, where they were remanded in custody pending further proceedings.
The Commissioner of Police in Kogi State, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, commended the operatives for their professionalism and urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to provide the police with useful information that could help in fighting crime.
