• How he was tracked down and nabbed

By STANLEY NWANOSIKE

The Police Command in Enugu State has arrested a student of Material and Metallurgical Engineering Department at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) for the alleged murder of a female student.

This information was contained in a statement issued by the Command’s Spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, on Monday in Enugu.

Ndukwe said that the command, following an intelligence-led investigation, arrested the male suspect, in the killing of one Deborah Sam-Praise Ememem, 22, who was recently found dead in a hotel room in Nsukka.

He said that detectives successfully recovered Ememem’s iPhone, tablet, earbuds, and other personal belongings.

According to him, the 22-year-old male suspect, one Emmanuel Gambo, a second-year student of Material and Metallurgical Engineering Department of UNN, hails from Kogi.

“The case, initially reported to Nsukka Urban Police Division, was transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (State CID) for thorough investigation.

“Findings revealed that on June 14, 2025, at about 9p.m., the suspect checked into a hotel in Obukpa, Nsukka, with the deceased.

“In the early hours of June 15, 2025, a dispute ensued after a second round of intercourse, during which the deceased allegedly demanded an additional N15,000 from the suspect, on top of the N5,000 earlier paid.

“The disagreement turned violent, and the suspect strangled her to death,” he said.

The spokesman said that after the suspect strangled her, he then wrapped the deceased’s body in a towel and a curtain torn from the hotel room and hid her remains under the bed.

He said that on June 16, 2025, at about 9a.m., hotel staff noticed a foul odour coming from the room. Upon investigation, the decomposing body was discovered concealed beneath the bed.

Ndukwe said that the suspect had earlier provided a false name and unreachable phone number on the hotel’s registration form, which initially hindered efforts to trace and detain him.

“However, acting on credible and painstakingly intelligence, police detectives located and detained the suspect at his lodge in Nsukka on July 2, 2025.”

The police spokesperson said that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime.

“The deceased’s iPhone was immediately recovered from him. A bottle of Asconi Agor red wine, which the deceased had brought to the hotel, was also found in his possession.

“He later led police detectives to recover the deceased’s Redmi tablet and earbuds, which he had thrown out through the hotel window in a bag after committing the crime,” he said.

The spokesman said that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mamman Giwa, had commended the detectives for the successful arrest of the suspect.

Ndukwe said that the commissioner reassured the public of the Command’s commitment to ensuring justice, security and the rule of law in the state.

He said that the state police boss also urged parents and guardians to closely monitor their children and wards, and cautioned young people against indulging in social vices and succumbing to negative peer pressure. (NAN, but headline rejigged)