The Kogi State Police Command has recovered the decomposing body of Mr. Ayo Aiyepeku, a photojournalist allegedly murdered by his colleague, Oluwapelumi Adebayo.
Spokesperson for the command, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, confirmed the discovery to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lokoja, stating that the corpse was found on Sunday evening near the WAEC office in the Crusher Zone 8 area of the state capital.
“Aiyepeku was gruesomely murdered by his colleague, Oluwapelumi Adebayo, on Tuesday night, July 22, in an office near the Government House/GRA area of Lokoja,” Ovye-Aya said.
“Yes, the corpse of the photojournalist has been found. It was discovered on Sunday evening somewhere around WAEC office, Zone 8 axis of Lokoja. The corpse has been deposited at Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja,” he added.
He assured that a discreet investigation was ongoing to unravel the full circumstances surrounding the killing. “The discreet investigation will help us uncover what truly happened,” he stated.
Ovye-Aya also appealed to the victim’s family, colleagues, and the general public to assist the police with credible information to aid the investigation.
Meanwhile, the family of the deceased has called on the Kogi State Government and police authorities to ensure justice is served.
Mr. Timothy Aiyepeku, elder brother to the deceased, and his uncle, Dr. Ibikunle Jide, appealed to Governor Ahmed Ododo and security agencies to leave no stone unturned in uncovering the truth and bringing the perpetrators to book.
“Now that the body has been found, we once again appeal to the Federal and Kogi governments and police authorities to uncover the mystery behind the killing.
“We commend the Police for their effort so far, and the media for ensuring the incident receives wide coverage and public attention,” they said.
It was gathered that after allegedly killing Aiyepeku, the suspect stuffed his corpse into a deep freezer before disposing of it in a bush. The decomposing body was later discovered by residents, who were drawn to the scene by a foul odour.
The residents promptly alerted the Chairman of Lokoja Local Government, Abdullahi Adamu, who visited the location with security agents to recover the body.
The incident has thrown the local journalism community and residents of Lokoja into shock, as they await further developments in the ongoing investigation.
