By ALEX OLISE
One of the suspects arrested by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Police Command, has revealed how he was paid N100,000 to participate in the gruesome murder of Stephanie Terungwa, a female member of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), who was found dead days after she went missing.
Terungwa and her one-year-old son were last seen in the Lokogoma area of the nation’s capital on April 14, 2022.
News of her death had sent a wave of shock across the country, with the NYSC confirming that her corpse was found in the Maitama area of Abuja.
In a statement, Eddy Megwa, NYSC’s Director, Press and Public Relations, gave a chilling account of how Stephanie’s body was found dressed in NYSC Khaki trousers.
“The corpse was found wearing the NYSC khaki trouser with the face defaced beyond recognition,” Megwa said.
Weeks after the tragic incident, the police announced that three suspects had been arrested.
The suspects were Jenifer Tsembe, a 26 year-old female, Monday Simon (aka Black), a 36 year-old male and Solomon Abu, a male of about 35 years of age; all residents of Oguta Lake Street, Maitama area of the FCT.
The police had said the trio voluntarily stated their involvement in the perpetration of the dastardly act.
Giving an update on the incident, CP Sunday Babaji, FCT Police Commissioner, said discrete investigation revealed that the deceased resided in City Homes Estate, Lokogoma, with one Edward Achadu.
He said it was discovered that she left home with her one year and five months-old son and never returned home.
Babaji said: “A day later, the son was recovered at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, upon a call placed through to one of the paternal relatives.
“Discrete and painstaking investigations by Tactical and Intelligence assets of the Command attached to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigations Department led to the arrest of three suspects.”
He said that the suspects criminally conspired and murdered the victim to separate her from Edward Achadu, so as to pave way for the female suspect, an estranged lover of Edward, Jenifer to have him to herself.
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The female suspect told newsmen that the deceased only came to her house to collect a phone the day she was found dead and denied any involvement in the act.
She said the male suspects were the ones that told her that they wanted to kidnap the deceased to demand for ransom.
However, another suspect, who said he was a colleague of the female suspect, told newsmen that she invited him to help her scare the deceased from her man.
He said the only role he played was to open the gate for the late Corps member when she came to Tsembe’s house.
He claimed that he met two other men, who tied the deceased before he departed from the premises, adding that he later heard of the murder of the deceased, The Trumpet gathered.
Another male suspect said he did not kill the deceased, adding that he held and tied her as instructed by the female suspect before leaving the house.
He said that the female suspect called him up later in the night to come to her house, adding that he met the deceased in a terrible state bathed with acid.
According to him, the female suspect was crying and saying she didn’t know why she killed the deceased.
He said: “She held my leg and was begging me to help her dispose off the body, after which she called someone who brought a car for her.
“The person left the car, which we later used to carry the body to where we dumped it at about 3 am.”
He said that the female suspect paid him the sum of N100,000.
