Kogi Police arrest suspects in alleged ritual killing of Kogi female undergraduate

The Kogi State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with the murder of Damilola Olowoyo, a 19-year-old first-year student at the Federal University Lokoja. The principal suspect, Jeremiah Paul, 20, confessed to the killing, which was part of a ritualistic scheme.

Paul was apprehended alongside Emmanuel Otitoju, Banabas Olugbenga, and Ajayi Basit Ayomide. The suspects were paraded at the police headquarters in Lokoja, where Paul admitted to luring Damilola to an uncompleted building, drugging her, and then strangling her. He later dismembered parts of her body for a ritual instructed by a native doctor he had met on TikTok.

Paul revealed, “I came to Kogi to hustle and met Damilola. I had planned to use her for rituals. After drugging her, I strangled her and removed the body parts the native doctor requested.”

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According to Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, the crime was discovered after the police received a report of Damilola’s disappearance. Using technical assistance, they tracked down Paul, who confessed to the crime. He had also extorted N400,000 in ransom from the victim’s parents before killing her.

The police further disclosed that Paul, originally from Kaduna State, had accomplices, and they are currently investigating the full scope of the crime. Aya urged parents and students to be cautious of their interactions, warning that some individuals within academic environments may have malicious intentions.

The four suspects will face arraignment upon the completion of the investigation.