…Police launch investigation as victim’s mom denies man killed daughter
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested one Ogidan Mustapha for allegedly attempting to dump the mutilated corpse of a 13-year-old girl in a river at midnight.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased is Oriyomi Adegboyega, with both amputated hands.
During the investigation, the policemen from the Igode Police Division found the girl’s mother, identified as Peace Adegboyega.
It was gathered that a sister security agency alerted Igode police on the 20th of September of the furtive movement of Mustapha.
The security agents became suspicious when they noticed Mustapha was carrying a load and moving about at about 1:30 am when most people were sleeping.
He was quickly trailed to a bush in the Igbosoro River, in Igode village. Just as he was making a move to flung the load into the river, security agents swooped on him.
A closer look at the ‘load’ revealed the dead body of a girl, whose two hands appeared to have been amputated. The body was wrapped in a mat.
An investigation would later lead to the identity of the deceased as 13-year-old Oriyomi Adegboyega.
When her mother, Peace was contacted, she claimed that her daughter died of electrocution on the 19th of September 2024 at about 10:20 am and that burial plans were ongoing to lay her to rest the following day, which was 20th September 2024.
Incidentally, it was also that same 20th of September, that Mustapha was discovered with the body.
While responding to questions from security agents, Peace identified Mustapha as her neighbour and expressed shock that he was with the corpse of her late daughter and wanted to dump it in the river.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of Igode, along with the Vigilante group, armed with a search warrant, stormed the house of Mustapha.
Two English pump action rifles and assorted local charms were recovered from his home.
On further interrogation, Mustapha denied being responsible for the amputation of the girl’s hands. He, however, admitted that the deceased’s father, Sunday Adegboyega, 56, asked him to assist in burying the deceased far away from home.
According to him, it was based on that request that he carried the corpse far away from the father’s compound and moved to the river, attempting to dump it there.
Three other suspects of northern origin were also arrested in connection to the crime.
Police sources said that the case will be transferred to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID) for further investigation.
