Woman, two hotel workers linked to dumping of man’s body in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested a woman and two workers of a guest house in connection with the discovery of a man’s body dumped under a bridge in Abuja.

The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed this on Saturday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Abuja.

The body was discovered along the Kubwa Expressway, by Katampe, on August 26, after the deceased had been reported missing by his family.

Sanusi said initial public reports linked the incident to suspected kidnapping and “one chance” robbery, but police investigations later established that the deceased was the same man whose disappearance had been reported.

He said the investigation took a major turn after operatives discovered that the man’s mobile phone was missing and traced his last known communication to Mrs Rukayat Muhammed of Garki Area 2.

According to the CP, Muhammed, a married woman, was allegedly in a romantic relationship with the deceased and had saved his number on her phone as “Safiyat”.

Sanusi said the woman and the deceased had lodged at the Good Samaritan Guest House, Second Avenue, Gwarimpa, where she allegedly discovered that the man was no longer breathing.

Rather than alerting the police, the woman allegedly took the deceased’s mobile phone and left the guest house.

“Rather than immediately reporting the incident to the Police, the suspect took the deceased’s mobile phone and left the hotel,” Sanusi said.

The commissioner said the guest house management later tried to contact the occupants after several hours without success.

He said the room was eventually accessed, leading to the discovery of the man’s body.

According to Sanusi, two hotel workers, identified as Ibrahim Omeiza and Kefat Bitrus, allegedly removed the body from the room and transported it to the Kubwa Expressway, where they dumped it under the Katampe Bridge.

“Instead of reporting the discovery to the Police, two members of the hotel management identified as Ibrahim Omeiza and Kefat Bitrus subsequently removed the body from the room and transported it to Kubwa Expressway by Katampe under the bridge where they dumped it by the roadside,” he said.

The police commissioner, however, said investigators had yet to establish the exact cause and circumstances of the man’s death.

“The exact cause and circumstances of the deceased’s death still under investigation, other investigative processes are being pursued to determine the full facts of the case,” he said.

Sanusi said anyone found to have played a role in the man’s death, concealment of his body or abandonment of the corpse would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

He added that the investigation underscored the command’s resolve to establish the facts surrounding the discovery of bodies before linking such incidents to particular crimes.