A man named Adebayo Pelumi, who was accused of killing a photojournalist in Lokoja, Kogi State, has reportedly taken his own life.
Pelumi was said to have attacked his friend, Ayo Aiyepeku, on the evening of Tuesday, July 22. Reports alleged that he hit Aiyepeku on the head with an iron object, leaving him unconscious. He then dismembered the victim’s body, loaded the parts into his Hilux van, and drove away.
Later that same day, he returned to the area but met a crowd of security officers and local vigilantes who had been alerted by one of the victim’s colleagues. In a bid to flee, the tyres of his vehicle were shot, yet he managed to escape.
By the afternoon of Thursday, July 24, the police received a tip-off and located Pelumi’s body in a hotel room in Lokoja. Items found with him included a bottle of Coca-Cola and a container of Sniper, a poisonous substance.
A staff member at the hotel, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “He lodged in our hotel on Wednesday afternoon, but by Thursday afternoon, he was found dead in his room.”
The hotel management quickly notified the authorities. The police later identified him as the main suspect in the murder of Ayobami Aiyepeku. His body was taken to the mortuary at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Lokoja.
Confirming the development, the state police public relations officer, SP William Ayah, said, “the suspect committed suicide in the hotel on Thursday. The hotel management informed us and we responded immediately.”
