A 32-year-old Cameroonian national has been arrested for allegedly murdering a young man in Abuja and attempting to conceal the crime by demanding a N5 million ransom from the victim’s family.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command said the suspect, Emmanuel Acha Leku, was arrested alongside his girlfriend, Kazan Vincent, in Adikpo, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State after fleeing the FCT following the killing.
Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Abuja.
According to the police commissioner, the case began after a complaint was lodged at Apo Divisional Headquarters on May 2, 2026, reporting that 22-year-old Emmanuel Chukwuemeka had been missing since April 21.
Sanusi said investigators deployed digital intelligence tools and collaborated with the Benue State Police Command to trace and apprehend the suspects.
Investigations, according to the police, revealed that the principal suspect had previous dealings with the deceased and accused him of withholding money from a fraudulent scheme they allegedly carried out together.
“Investigations revealed that the principal suspect (Emmanuel Acha Leku) had previous dealings with the deceased, whom he claimed was an accomplice in a fraudulent scheme they orchestrated together. According to Emmanuel, after proceeds from the fraudulent activities materialized, the deceased absconded with the money and failed to remit his share,” the commissioner said.
He said the suspect allegedly lured the victim to a mountainous area in Lokogoma where he killed him before using the deceased’s phone to demand ransom from family members in a bid to make the crime appear to be a kidnapping.
“Angered by this development, the suspect lured the deceased to a mountainous area in Lokogoma, where he murdered him. Thereafter, he used the deceased’s phone to demand a ransom of five million naira from family members in an attempt to disguise the murder as a kidnapping incident.”
The police commissioner further disclosed that the suspect fled to Benue State after the incident and was planning to escape to Cameroon before his arrest.
“Further investigations revealed that after committing the crime, the suspect fled to Benue State, where he joined his girlfriend (Ms. Kazan Vincent) and was making arrangements to escape to his country of origin before his eventual arrest.”
Police said two mobile phones, including that of the deceased, were recovered from the suspect.
Sanusi added that investigators later traced the victim’s decomposing remains to the crime scene and recovered the body, which has been deposited at Sahad Hospital in Apo for autopsy.
“We have been able to trace the decomposing remains of the victim to the crime scene, recovered the remains which have been deposited at Sahad Hospital, Apo, for autopsy,” he said.
The suspects are expected to face prosecution upon the conclusion of investigations.
