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The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a man, Manaseh Bitrus Jatau, in connection with the death of his 35-year-old girlfriend, Rebecca Ojonike Jeremiah, in the Romi area of Kaduna.
The command, in a statement issued on Friday, September 11, said Jeremiah’s lifeless body was discovered along Mai Angwa Street, Romi, on September 5.
According to the police, the deceased was found with cotton wool stuffed in her nose.
“Police detectives from Romi Outstation immediately visited the scene and rushed the victim to St. Gerald Hospital, Kakuri, Kaduna, where she was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” the statement said.
The corpse, the police added, has been deposited at the hospital mortuary pending an autopsy.
Preliminary investigations reportedly showed that Jatau was the last person to call Jeremiah to meet him at a joint in Romi, shortly before her death.
The police said detectives subsequently traced and arrested the suspect at his workplace in the Maraban Jos area of Kaduna.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to having a fight with the deceased in his room over a phone call from another woman.
According to the police statement, Jatau told investigators that the altercation resulted in Jeremiah’s death and that he subsequently dumped her body in an open field near his house in an alleged attempt to conceal the incident.
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The command said the suspect remains in police custody while investigations continue.
“The suspect is currently in police custody, and the case is being investigated. He will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation,” the statement said.
Reacting to the incident, Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, condemned acts of violence and called on residents to resolve disputes peacefully.
The commissioner “condemns all acts of violence and urges members of the public to embrace peaceful resolution of disputes,” according to the statement.
He also reassured residents of the command’s commitment to securing justice for victims and ensuring that anyone found responsible for wrongdoing is brought to book.
The police statement was signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.
The circumstances surrounding Jeremiah’s death remain under investigation, while the autopsy is expected to provide further information on the cause of death.
