By Joy Yesufu
A senior officer of the Nigeria Correctional Service, DSP Olorunpelumi Jacob, suspected of killing a photojournalist in Kogi State, has taken his own life.
Jacob, who was declared wanted by the Kogi State Police Command following the gruesome murder of Ayo Aiyepeku, a photojournalist with Inside Story Online, was found dead on Thursday afternoon in a private residence in Lokoja.
The late correctional officer was alleged to have lured the victim out of his office, located near the Government House/GRA axis of Lokoja, around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, under the pretext of needing help to load a freezer into his vehicle.
He reportedly struck Aiyepeku on the head with a blunt object, rendering him unconscious, before dismembering the body and storing the parts in a deep freezer.
Eyewitness accounts suggest the victim’s colleague, who was present at the office during the attack, heard his cries but was unable to intervene in time. The suspect allegedly transported parts of the body in his Hilux van before returning to the crime scene, unaware he had been observed.
Sources confirmed that Jacob had operated a farm within the same premises as the media office, which may have facilitated his access.
The police had earlier launched a manhunt for Jacob. However, acting on a tip-off, operatives discovered his lifeless body in a rented apartment, alongside an empty beverage bottle and traces of a suspected poisonous substance.
Police authorities say investigations are ongoing to determine the motive behind both the murder and the suicide.
