Kogi Police Reveal How ATBU Graduate Was Lured, Killed Over Tricycle -

The Kogi State Police Command has uncovered chilling details surrounding the murder of a fresh graduate of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Aminu Abubakar, who was killed in a calculated robbery targeting his tricycle.

According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, the crime was executed by suspects who deceptively posed as construction workers to lure the victim to an isolated location.

Abubakar, who resided in the Otokiti area of Lokoja and was awaiting mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), had reportedly left home on the day of the incident in search of daily income using his tricycle. When he failed to return, his family raised concerns.

His lifeless body was later discovered around the CBN area in Zone 8, Lokoja.
Following the incident, operatives of the Homicide Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department launched an intensive investigation, leading to the arrest of two suspects identified as Garba Godwin Ibrahim and Ashema Usman Samson.

Police investigations revealed that the suspects attacked the victim with a shovel, inflicting multiple severe blows to the back of his head. An autopsy confirmed that the injuries were fatal.

“The suspects confessed that the act was premeditated, with the sole aim of dispossessing the victim of his tricycle,” the police spokesperson stated.

After committing the crime, the suspects reportedly sold the stolen tricycle to one Kabiru Idris in Ayingba.

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Police operatives later tracked and arrested Idris, recovering the victim’s tricycle along with four other motorcycles suspected to be stolen from his residence.

Idris is said to have admitted involvement in dealing with stolen property, receiving items from criminal networks.

Further findings revealed that the two principal suspects are ex-convicts previously linked to cases of armed robbery and homicide.

The police confirmed that investigations have been concluded, and the suspects have been charged before Magistrate Court 5 in Lokoja, where they have been remanded in custody.

Commending the operatives for their professionalism, the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to provide credible information to security agencies.

The incident adds to growing concerns over violent crimes targeting young Nigerians striving to earn a living, coming shortly after the reported killing of a 25-year-old student in Niger State during a school event.