Three suspects have been apprehended by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), following the discovery of the decomposing body of Mrs. Christiana Agbulu, a lecturer at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, on the outskirts of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
Christiana AgbuluIt was gathered that one of the suspect’s identity was captured by an ATM camera, when he came to withdraw the ransom of N100,000 paid into the lady’s account by her colleagues to secure her release.
According to her colleagues, the abductors on that fateful day, used the victim’s mobile phone to demand N150,000 to set her free. However, they were able to raise N100,000, which was paid to her bank account. The kidnappers quickly used Agbulu’s ATM card to withdraw the amount. Sadly, the suspects refused to release her.Christiana Agbulu, Lecturer 1 in Biological Sciences department of the Federal University of Agriculture (FUAM), Makurdi, was declared missing between Benue and Kogi, on November 26, 2016 by members of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) in FUAM.
The decomposed body was exhumed from a shallow grave near NEPA installation, along Lokoja-Abuja Road through a combined effort of SARS and Rev Fr. Patrick Ugbaje.
The Guardian learnt that Agbulu was on a visit to her friend, Mr. Levi Asambe, an employee of Obajana Cement Company before the unfortunate incident occurred.
The deceased’s case has brought to fore the danger of using commercial motorcyclists as tour guide, as she was said to have been stranded in Lokoja on arrival. She spoke to her host, who advised her to give her phone to any commercial motorcyclist for direction.
In spite of all the efforts to get the right description, the motorcyclist turned out to be her abductor, as the next information from her end was the demand of N150,000 ransom.
The suspects in police net confessed to having raped her repeatedly for weeks and later when she died, they took her body to somewhere along Abuja-Lokoja Highway, where they buried her in a shallow grave.
The university’s chapter of ASUU had made spirited efforts to secure the victim’s release, with repeated appeal to the Inspector General of Police and the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to assist the union in rescuing one of their members.
At a press conference held yesterday in Lokoja by the ASUU-FUAM, the acting Chairperson of the union, Bemgba Anjembe, said Agbulu, who was abducted in Lokoja was found dead on Tuesday morning.
“She appeared to have been murdered a long time ago. The remains have already been recovered and taken to Ugbokolo, her hometown for burial. May the good Lord grant all of us the serenity to accept this rude shock.”
He urged the Kogi State governor to beef up the security apparatus in the state. “Security is not only about providing vehicles and gadgets to policemen, he must ensure that such sordid stories do not emanate from the state again. It seems the criminals that have been chased out from other states are converging in Kogi,” he said.
