The police in Enugu State, South-east Nigeria, say they have arrested two male suspects for the alleged abduction and murder of a five-year-old boy in Udi Local Government Area of the state.
Daniel Ndukwe, the police spokesperson in the state, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
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Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said the prime suspect, Ikediekpere Obodoagu, 18, allegedly colluded with an accomplice, Sunday Michael, 24, to commit the crime.
The victim, Wisdom, was the prime suspect’s cousin. They hail from Okinitor village, Amankwo Ngwo, a community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu.
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The alleged accomplice is a security guard at 9th Mile and a native of Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria’s north-east.
How it happened
Mr Ndukwe said the victim was reported missing on 26 July 2025 after which the prime suspect used his accomplice to demand N1 million ransom from the victim’s father.
The police spokesperson explained that the prime suspect’s use of an accomplice to demand ransom was an attempt to protect his identity.
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He said the suspects were arrested on 11 and 12 August 2025 by police operatives from the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, following intelligence gathered after ransom demands were reported.
“When the ransom went unmet, the suspect murdered the child and buried him in a bush near their residence in Okinitor, Amankwo Ngwo, Udi Local Government Area,” he said.
“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime. The prime suspect thereafter led operatives to the scene, where the victim’s body was exhumed in the presence of medical personnel, including a doctor, who certified the child dead,” Mr Ndukwe narrated.
Commissioner speaks
Mr Ndukwe said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Bitrus Giwa, has commiserated with the bereaved family and assured them that the suspects will be arraigned upon conclusion of investigations.
Mr Giwa reiterated that the police in the state are committed to detecting and preventing heinous crimes and ensuring justice in the state.
Prohibited in Nigeria
Murder is outlawed in Section 315 (6) of Nigeria’s Criminal Code Act. Offenders, on conviction, face a death sentence, section 319 (1) said.
Similarly, Nigeria in May 2022 enacted the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act (2022), which outlawed all forms of kidnapping in the country.
The Act prescribes the death sentence for kidnapping in a case where the abduction leads to loss of life and life imprisonment where there is no loss of life.
It was an amendment to the now-defunct Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act (2013), which had prescribed a 10-year jail term for kidnapping.
The new Act also prescribes at least a 15-year jail term for whoever pays ransom to free kidnapped victims.
Several people have been convicted of murder, and others convicted of kidnapping across Nigeria.
A high court in Lokoja, Kogi State, in January 2022, sentenced a man, Muritala Dare, to death by hanging for stabbing his colleague to death with a broken bottle.
An Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos, in September 2022, sentenced kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, to 21 years imprisonment for kidnapping.
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