The prime suspect in the gruesome murder of a young photojournalist, Ayo Aiyepekun, in Lokoja, Kogi State, has reportedly committed suicide.
Afrocover gathered that the suspect, Adebayo Pelumi, who was declared wanted for allegedly killing his colleague on Tuesday, was found dead Thursday afternoon in a hotel room located in Lokoja.
A staff member of the hotel, who pleaded anonymity, said Pelumi checked into the hotel on Wednesday afternoon but was discovered lifeless around 1 pm on Thursday when a steward went to clean up the room at checkout time.
“The management quickly alerted the police, who came and identified him as the suspect they had been searching for,” the source added.
The remains of the suspected killer were immediately taken to the mortuary of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, where the corpse was deposited.
Recall that the deceased photojournalist, Ayo Aiyepekun, who worked with Inside Story in Lokoja, was murdered on Tuesday by Pelumi, who resided in the same compound.
A family source disclosed that Ayo’s relatives have called on the Kogi State Government and the Nigeria Police to ensure justice is served, following the brutal killing of their son.
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“The family has cried out for justice, which prompted the police to commence a manhunt for Pelumi,” the source said.
An eyewitness who also works with Inside Story explained that Ayo was with him in the office on Tuesday night doing video and photo editing when the suspect called him out under the guise of needing help at his poultry farm located within their shared compound.
“He called him around 8:30 pm. Unknown to him, Ayo was not alone in the office. When Ayo stepped out, he was hit with an iron repeatedly and killed on the spot,” the eyewitness narrated.
According to him, the suspect was seen lifting the lifeless body into a deep freezer before moving it into his Hilux Van, which prompted the witness to raise the alarm.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, SP Williams Ovye, has yet to make an official statement on the developments.
