A 21-year-old suspected kidnapper, Tony Ekwane Oghanetega, has confessed to the killing of 17-year-old JAMB candidate, Thomson Omokhafe Adams, allegedly because the teenager recognised his abductors.…....
According to The Nation on Wednesday, Oghanetega and his accomplice, Elijah Emmanuel, 23, were among 118 suspects paraded by the Lagos State Police Command for various offences over the past two weeks. The State Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Tijani, disclosed this while addressing journalists on Tuesday.
The suspect stated that the victim was abducted shortly after sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Ikorodu. He claimed that the plan to kill the teenager was influenced by his associate, who feared the victim could identify them and expose their operation.
Narrating the incident in his confessional statement, Oghanetega said the victim was lured to his apartment by his accomplice, who was reportedly known to the deceased. He added that the attack had been premeditated, with weapons and other materials prepared in advance.
“After the victim was lured to my apartment, he was chained while videos and photographs were taken of him,” he said. “My accomplice later insisted the victim should not be released because he knew our identities and family members. We subsequently strangled the victim to death inside my apartment.”
Police investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly subjected the victim to severe assault, using a nail-studded object and a cutlass before strangling him. His body was then stuffed into a sack and concealed in a ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bag before being transported on a motorcycle to a remote location, where it was dumped.
To avoid raising suspicion, the suspects reportedly carried microphones and music equipment to create the impression they were heading to a legitimate engagement. Oghanetega also disclosed that he contacted his father the following day to request transport fare to leave the area.
CP Tijani stated that the suspects were arrested on April 27 at about 10 p.m. in the Lucy Fibre area of Ikorodu, following credible intelligence linked to a missing-person report filed at the Ajah Division under Area J Command.
Further investigations have also connected the suspects to the alleged kidnap and murder of a female victim in November last year, after collecting a ransom of N300,000.
The police confirmed that the remains of the late Adams have been recovered and deposited in a morgue for autopsy, while the suspects remain in custody pending the conclusion of investigations.
The Commissioner of Police urged parents and guardians to be vigilant and monitor their children’s movements, while calling on members of the public to report suspicious activities.
“No one involved in this heinous crime will escape justice,” Tijani assured.
