Barely 48 hours after allegedly killing his friend, an officer of the Nigeria Correctional Service in Kogi State, DSP Olorunpelumi Jacob, has committed suicide in a private lodge where he had been hiding.
The late officer, widely referred to on social media as Ayo Pelumi, was accused of gruesomely murdering his friend, Ayo Aiyepeku, a photojournalist. He allegedly struck Aiyepeku on the head with a blunt object, rendering him unconscious, before proceeding to butcher the victim and store the body parts in a refrigerator.
The horrific incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday night at an office located near the Government House/GRA axis of Lokoja. Jacob was said to have a farm within the premises of the office and had lured the victim under the pretext of needing help with lifting a freezer into his vehicle.
Unbeknownst to Jacob, a colleague of the deceased who was in the office at the time had heard Aiyepeku’s distress cries but was unable to intervene.
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After the murder, Jacob allegedly placed parts of the dismembered body into his Hilux van and fled the scene. He later returned to the premises, where he was confronted by security operatives who had been alerted. Though the tyres of his vehicle were deflated to prevent his escape, he managed to flee on foot.
The Kogi State Police Command, on Wednesday, launched a manhunt for the suspected ritual killer and called on the public to report any information on his whereabouts.
On Thursday afternoon, at about 2:00 p.m., police acting on a tip-off stormed a lodge where they discovered Jacob’s lifeless body. A bottle of Coca-Cola and a syringe were reportedly found at the scene, indicating he may have taken poison to end his life.
Sources close to the police revealed that investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding his suicide and whether he acted alone. There is growing speculation that Jacob may have had accomplices in the crime.
