Five Nigerian students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) who allegedly murdered one of their compatriots on the campus have been arrested by the police.
The suspects, who were friends of Godwin Chukwudi Ayogu, a 19-year-old Level 200 student of the UCC, vanished from the campus soon after the discovery of Ayogu’s body on the outskirts of the university.
Suspects
The suspects — Ogunsanyo Abayomi, Obi Mnaetochi Brendan Ilozumba, Oti Uchechukwu Chijooke, Jimoh Oluwatobiloba Timileyin and Isaac Ifidon — are assisting the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in its investigations.
According to the Director General of the CID, Commissioner of Police, Mr Prosper Agblor, the five, together with Ayogu, were pursuing various degree programmes at the UCC.
Discovery of the Body
Mr Agblor said on February 19, 2014, the body of Ayogu was found at Amamoma on the outskirts of the university, with the throat slit and multiple stab wounds all over the body, while the intestines had gushed out.
The hands and legs of the deceased were also tied with a rope.
The body was later conveyed to the Cape Coast Regional Hospital for preservation.
A thorough examination conducted at the crime scene by police investigators revealed vehicular tyre marks, an indication that Ayogu had been killed elsewhere and the body dumped at the spot where it was found.
Mr Agblor indicated that a post-mortem examination of the body by Dr Patrick Kafui Akakpo of the Central Regional Hospital gave the cause of death as stab wounds to the heart and multiple stab wounds.
Homicide Unit of CID
The Homicide Unit of the CID took over the case from the Cape Coast Police and further investigations revealed that Ogunsanyo was a former roommate of Ayogu.
Mr Agblor said Ogunsanyo, who lived beyond his means, had borrowed an unspecified amount of money from Ayogu to pay his school fees, with the promise to pay back later but instead travelled to the United Kingdom.
He promised to pay back on his return from the UK but refused and later rented a two-bedroom apartment outside the campus.
Mr Agblor said Ayogu complained about Ogunsanyo’s conduct to his other Nigerian friends on campus.
Last seen
He said Ayogu was last seen alive in the company of Oluwatobiloba on February 18, this year.
On that day, the two had gone to Ogunsanyo’s apartment to demand Ayogu’s money, in the course of which a scuffle ensued between Ayogu and Ogunsanyo.
The next morning Ayogu’s body was discovered.
The tyre marks found at the place where the body was found later matched those of a saloon car with a Republic of Togo registration number, 5227-AO, belonging to Ilozumba who was one-time a course mate of Ayogu and who also lived in the same hostel.
It turned out that the relationship between Ayogu and Ilozumba had been strained because of a lady they both dated.
The arrest
Upon interrogation, Ilozumba vehemently denied moving the car that night or giving it to someone else to drive, but investigations later revealed that Ogunsanyo had driven the car the night in question.
Surprisingly, when news of the discovery of Ayogu’s body broke out on campus, the five Nigerian suspects left campus unceremoniously for unknown destinations before they later resurfaced.
They were all arrested on their return and are currently assisting in investigations.
