Broken iPhone, tracker, dented car—police gives complicated details of how Vanguard reporter ended up in morgue

As doubters and naysayers begin to knock the initial account of how the Vanguard missing journalist Henry Tordue Salem ended up killed by a cab driver in Abuja, the police authorities have come out with a fuller account.

It was a mix of sleuthing and high-tech investigation.

Utoro Clement claimed he knocked the reporter dead around Mabushi, Abuja October 13, thinking he was a robber.

But Clement didn’t just come out to confess.

In a statement on Friday, giving vivid details, Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba said Salem’s body was identified at a Wuse General Hospital morgue after forensic leads were recovered from his sim card found at the ‘Good Friends garage’ at Mpape.

“Henry’s movement was trailed up to BJ Gardens located somewhere in Garki close to old CBN. A young lady that had an interaction with him on the night of disappearance was located, and detectives spoke to her. From that point, investigators expanded their investigation by working on different suppositions and hypotheses,” Mba said.

“A breakthrough was, however, made when following some digital and forensic leads. His phone, an iPhone 6 that had already been smashed into pieces was trailed and found in a garage somewhere in Mpape called the ‘Good Friends’ garage.

“It was discovered that a text call was made from his SIM card and following detailed and intensive digital and forensic analysis on both his CDR and IMEI and the scrap phone, a major arrest and breakthrough was made. One Itoro Clement, who happens to be a commercial driver in charge of a Toyota Camry 2014 model with registration number, BWR 243 DK was subsequently arrested.

“On interrogation, Itoro Clement, after hitting him, drove his vehicle to ‘Good Friends’ garage where he normally parks his vehicle every night for a fee. At that point in time, his vehicle was already badly damaged. The windshield suffered major damage. The image of the damage was retrieved from his phone. He parked his car and left it there and went away. The next morning when he arrived at the garage, he found a phone broken and stuck in between the smashed windshield.

“The phone itself has already been smashed. He pulled it out and threw it away. But some other young persons, playing in that garage, eventually picked up that phone. Part of the components of this phone was allegedly sold off by the kids while they tried to make a text call with the SIM card.

“On the strength of this, detectives moved to the General Hospital that covers that area. Yesterday, the 11th of November, 2021, after a lot of painstaking searches, a body believed to be that of Henry Tordue Salem was found at about 11:20 am at the Wuse General Hospital morgue.

“Detectives have already contacted the family members and this body has been positively identified by family members as that of Henry Tordue Salem.

“In addition to that physical and positive identification, detectives also searched the body of the late journalist and these items were recovered: 1. A Keystone bank debit card bearing his name, Union Bank debit card bearing his name, ID card issued by Vanguard Newspapers identifying him as Henry Tordue Salem and a staff and a temporary ID card from the National Assembly identifying him as a member of the House of Reps, Press Corps.” From that point, investigators expanded their investigation by working on different suppositions and hypotheses.”