The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested a security guard, David Moses, for the kidnapping and brutal murder of a 55-year-old nurse, Mrs. Chinyere Anaene, and a toddler, Nanenter Asher Yese, in Dawaki, Abuja.
The tragic incident, which has sparked outrage and grief across the FCT, occurred on July 23, 2025, when the victims were reported missing from the Clear Hope Foundation Academy, a private school in the Dawaki area.
A press release issued by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the command received a distress report concerning the sudden disappearance of Mrs. Anaene, a staff nurse at the academy, and the one-year-and-two-month-old child she was caring for.
While at the police station on the same day, Mrs. Anaene’s husband received a chilling ransom demand of ₦250 million via her mobile phone.
In response, the FCT Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit launched a swift and coordinated operation, using digital forensics to trace the victims and potential suspects to Yelwa and Uke communities in the neighbouring Nasarawa State.
The breakthrough came on July 29, when operatives apprehended David Moses, a security guard at the school. Initially regarded as a possible victim or witness.
Moses later confessed to orchestrating the crime alongside his best friend, Sunday Irimiya, who remains at large.
Police investigations revealed that the suspects lured Mrs. Anaene into a bathroom in the school premises where they strangled her.
David Moses subsequently abducted the toddler from a classroom and murdered him in a similar fashion.
The victims’ bodies were stuffed into a sack, transported using a scavenger’s cart, and dumped in a canal.
The police recovered the decomposed remains of the victims after Moses led operatives to the crime scene.
“This is a deeply painful and horrifying case,” SP Adeh stated.
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“The command expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families of Mrs. Anaene and Baby Nanenter. While no words can ease such a loss, we assure the public that justice will be pursued with full resolve.”
The police have launched a manhunt for the second suspect, Sunday Irimiya, and urge members of the public to report any suspicious activity that may aid his capture.
The command also called on FCT residents to remain vigilant and to report criminal activities to the police via the command’s emergency lines: 08061581938 or 08032003913.
The tragic murder of a caregiver and an innocent toddler has reignited calls for improved school security and thorough background checks on non-academic staff across the FCT.
Parents, civil society groups, and education stakeholders have condemned the heinous act and urged the authorities to strengthen child protection measures within school environments.
The FCT police say investigations are ongoing, and the arrested suspect will face charges upon the conclusion of the inquiry.
