A second-year student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Emmanuel Gambo, has been arrested by the Enugu State Police Command in connection with the gruesome murder of a young woman, Deborah Sam-Praise Ememem, whose decomposing body was found hidden under a hotel bed in Obukpa, Nsukka.
In a statement released on Tuesday via X, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the arrest, recovery of the victim’s personal belongings, and the suspect’s confession to the crime.
According to the police, the suspect, 22, from Kogi State and studying Material and Metallurgical Engineering, had checked into the hotel with the deceased on June 14, 2025, around 9:00 p.m.
“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.
“Findings revealed that on June 14, 2025, at about 9:00 p.m., the suspect, a second-year student of Material and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), checked into a hotel in Obukpa, Nsukka, 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.
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“The disagreement turned violent, and the suspect strangled her to death. The suspect then wrapped the deceased’s body in a towel and a curtain torn from the hotel room and hid it under the bed. On June 16, 2025, at about 9:00 a.m., hotel staff noticed a foul odour coming from the room. Upon investigation, the decomposing body was discovered concealed beneath the bed.
“The suspect had provided a false name and unreachable phone number on the hotel’s registration form, which initially hindered efforts to trace and arrest him,” the statement said.
The suspect, who had registered under a false identity and unreachable phone number, initially evaded arrest. However, after weeks of intelligence-led investigation, police detectives tracked and arrested him at his lodge in Nsukka on July 2. During interrogation, Gambo confessed to the murder, and the deceased’s iPhone was recovered from him.
Additional items, including a bottle of red wine brought to the hotel by the deceased, as well as her tablet and earbuds, which the suspect had discarded through a window in a bag, were also recovered.
Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the homicide detectives for their efforts, stating that the Command remains committed to delivering justice and ensuring public safety.
He further urged parents and guardians to closely monitor their wards and cautioned youths against engaging in social vices and yielding to negative influences.
