Police recover body of Kogi journalist murdered by colleague

The Police Command in Kogi has confirmed the recovery of the body of Mr Ayo Aiyepeku, a photo-journalist, allegedly murdered by his colleague, Oluwapelumi Adebayo.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday day in Lokoja.

Ovye-Aya explained that Ayobami’s corpse was found on Sunday evening at a location around WAEC office, Crusher Zone 8 axis in Lokoja.

The command’s spokesperson said 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.

“Yes, the corpse of the photo-journalist 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.

“The discreet investigation will help us uncover what truly happened,” Ovye-Aya said.

He appealed to the victim’s family, colleagues and the public to provide credible information to aid the investigation.

Meanwhile, the deceased’s family has made a passionate appeal to police authorities and the Kogi government for justice.

Mr Timothy Aiyepeku, the deceased’s elder brother, and his uncle, Dr Ibikunle Jide, who spoke to NAN, appealed for justice.

They pleaded with Gov. Ahmed Ododo and security agencies to help unravel the mystery behind Ayobami’s gruesome murder, and punish the perpetrators.

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 added.

Aiyepeku’s assailant had after killing him, loaded his corpse into a deep freezer and disposed it off.

It was gathered Ayobami’s body was found by residents of the area who raised an alarm.

Residents were said to have been attracted to a nearby bush in the area by foul odour from the decomposing body of the late photographer.

On sighting his corpse, residents alerted the Chairman of Lokoja Local Government, Abdullahi Adamu, who immediately arrived at the spot in company of some security agents to recover the body. (NAN)(ww