A 25-year-old Okada rider, Onos Simon, has been arrested for allegedly murdering a trader, plucking out her eyes and cutting off private parts, and selling them for N100,000.
The suspect said he conveyed the woman on the pretext of showing her where to buy pepper.
Simon stated, “My friend told me to convey the woman to a place where she could buy pepper. When we got there, I called Akpoghene Shoemaker that we were already there and he said we should come inside.
“We walked into the bush; at a point, the woman said she was not buying the pepper again and that she wanted to go to another place to make the purchase.
“As we were going back, the woman was in the front, Akpoghene in the middle, while I was at the back; it was in the process of going back that Akpoghene dealt a machete blow on the woman and she fell down.
“We raped the woman before she died; we checked her bag and took the N40,000 in it; Akpoghene later plucked out her eyes and cut off her private parts. After that, we cut grasses to cover her corpse.
“We sold the parts for N100,000 to one Lucky Daniel. Akpoghene gave me N50,000 as my share. This is my first time of getting involved in such a crime. I did not know that Akpoghene is a ritualist.”
Parading the suspects at the police headquarters in Asaba, the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ali, said the victim, Mrs. Patience Komore, was reported missing after mounting on Simon’s motorcycle at the Umeh Market in the Isoko South Local Government Area.
Ali said on interrogation, Simon confessed to the killing of the woman in connivance with Akpoghene and that her body parts were sold to Daniel for N100,000.
The CP stated, “I directed the Divisional Police Officer of Oleh to unravel the mystery behind her disappearance. The DPO mobilised police operatives, vigilantes and community leaders, who worked together and gathered information regarding the case.
“Acting on a tip-off, on August 3, one Onos Simon, 25, an Okada man, was arrested. He was the same person who conveyed the woman on that fateful day.
“On interrogation, the suspect confessed to the killing of the missing woman, Mrs. Patience Komore, in connivance with one Akpoghene Shoemaker, who is now at large.”
Ali said the decomposing corpse had been recovered and deposited in the mortuary.
While urging members of the public to assist the police with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the fleeing suspects, Akpoghene and Daniel, the CP reiterated the command’s commitment to rid the state of criminals.