The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a student of the Department of Material and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, over the alleged murder of a female student.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday in Enugu by the Command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe.
According to Ndukwe, the police, acting on intelligence, apprehended the male suspect linked to the killing of 22-year-old Deborah Sam-Praise Ememem, who was recently found dead in a hotel room in Nsukka.
He said detectives also recovered the victim’s iPhone, tablet, earbuds, and other personal items.
The suspect was identified as 22-year-old Emmanuel Gambo, a second-year student from Kogi State enrolled in the Department of Material and Metallurgical Engineering at UNN.
“The case, initially reported to Nsukka Urban Police Division, was transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (State CID) for thorough investigation,” Ndukwe stated.
He explained that investigations revealed that on June 14, 2025, at about 9 p.m., the suspect checked into a hotel in Obukpa, Nsukka, together with the deceased.
“In the early hours of June 15, 2025, a dispute ensued after a second round of intercourse, during which the deceased allegedly demanded an additional ₦15,000 from the suspect, on top of the ₦5,000 earlier paid.
“The disagreement turned violent, and the suspect strangled her to death,” he said.
Ndukwe further disclosed that after committing the act, the suspect wrapped the victim’s body in a towel and a curtain torn from the hotel room, hiding her remains under the bed.
On June 16, 2025, at about 9 a.m., hotel staff, perceiving a foul odour coming from the room, investigated and discovered the decomposing body concealed under the bed.
The police spokesman said efforts to track the suspect initially faced challenges because he had used a false name and an unreachable phone number on the hotel’s registration form.
“However, acting on credible and painstakingly gathered intelligence, police detectives located and detained the suspect at his lodge in Nsukka on July 2, 2025.”
Ndukwe stated that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime.
“The deceased’s iPhone was immediately recovered from him. A bottle of Asconi Agor red wine, which the deceased had brought to the hotel, was also found in his possession.
“He later led police detectives to recover the deceased’s Redmi tablet and earbuds, which he had thrown out through the hotel window in a bag after committing the crime,” he said.
He added that the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Mamman Giwa, had commended the detectives for their diligent work that led to the arrest of the suspect.
Ndukwe said the commissioner also reassured residents of the command’s dedication to upholding justice, security, and the rule of law across the state.
He noted that the police boss urged parents and guardians to closely monitor their children and wards, while cautioning young people against engaging in social vices and yielding to negative peer influence.
