Crime
Why Corps member Stephanie was abducted, killed – Suspects
The three suspects arrested by the police in connection with the abduction and eventual murder of a female National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) member, Stephanie Terungwa in April have confessed to why the late corper was abducted.
The police on Tuesday paraded three suspects connected with the murder, which was masterminded by Jennifer Fani Tsembe, a former girlfriend of Stephanie’s husband, Edward Achado.
Jennifer, 26, was paraded along with Monday Simon (a.k.a Black) 36, and Solomon Abu, 35, all residents of Oguta lake Maitama area of the FCT.
Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Sunday Babaji, revealed that Jennifer conspired with the other suspects and murdered the victim so as to be with the victim’s partner, Edward Achado.
The three suspects, the police said, have voluntarily confessed their involvement in the murder.
Stephanie was declared missing after leaving home in Logogoma, for her Community Development Service (CDS) in April.
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She was later found dead 15 April, two weeks after in Maitama, with her body mutilated and face disfigured.
Her son, who was with her at the time she was kidnapped, was found alive and well.
The police said Jennifer, who was Edward Achado’s ‘estranged lover,’ poured corrosive substances on Stephanie in a bid to separate her from Edward.
The CP stated that discrete and painstaking Investigations by Tactical and Intelligence assets of the Command attached to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) led to the arrest of three suspects.
Babaji said the suspects criminally conspired and murdered the victim to separate her from Edward Achadu to pave way for the female suspect and estranged lover of Edward, Jennifer Temba, to have him to herself.
However, the female suspect told newsmen that the deceased only came to her house to collect the phone the day she was found dead and denied any involvement in the act.
She said the male suspects were the ones that told her that they wanted to kidnap the deceased to demand for ransom.
However, another suspect, who said he was a colleague of the female suspect, said that she invited him to help her scare the deceased from her man.
He said the only role he played was to open the gate for the late Stephanie when she came to Temba’s house.
He claimed that he met two other men who tied the deceased before he departed from the premises, adding that he later heard of the murder of the deceased.
Another male suspect said he was contracted by the female suspect to help her scare the deceased alongside his friend currently at large.
He said he did not kill the deceased, saying he held and tied her as instructed by the female suspect before leaving the house.
He said that the female suspect called him up later in the night to come to her house, adding that he met the deceased in a terrible state bathed with acid.
According to him, the female suspect was crying and saying she didn’t know why she killed the deceased.
“She held my hands and was begging me to help her dispose of the body after which she called someone who brought a car for her. The person left the car which we later used to carry the body to where we dumped it at about 3.00 am,” he said.
He added that the female suspect paid him the sum of N100,000.