The Enugu State Police Command has arrested one Emmanuel Gambo said to be a student of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), for allegedly strangulating a 22-year-old Deborah Sam-Praise Ememem to death.
The body of Ememem was recently found in a hotel room in Nsukka, Enugu State, where it was dumped after her killing by Kogi State-born Gambo, over sexual dispute.
Gambo’s arrest, which followed intensive, diligent, and intelligence-led investigation by detectives, led to the recoveries of the victim’s iPhone, tablet, earbuds, and other personal belongings.
The case was initially reported at Nsukka Urban Police Division, but was later transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (State CID) for thorough investigation.
Police said further investigations revealed that on June 14, 2025, at about 9p.m., the suspect, a second-year student of Material and Metallurgical Engineering at UNN, checked into the hotel in Obukpa in Nsukka, with the deceased.
A dispute reportedly ensued between them after a second round of intercourse, during which the deceased allegedly demanded extra ₦15,000 apart from the ₦5,000 earlier paid by Gambo.
The disagreement that followed turned violent, resulting in the suspect strangulating the victim to death.
Spokesman of Enugu State Police Command, SP Daniel Ndukwe, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect later wrapped the deceased’s body in a towel and a curtain torn from the hotel room and hid the corpse under the bed.
“On June 16, 2025, at about 9a.m., hotel staff noticed some foul odour coming from the room. Upon investigation, the decomposing body was discovered concealed beneath the bed. The suspect had provided a false name and unreachable phone number on the hotel’s registration form, which initially hindered efforts to trace and arrest him.
“However, acting on credible and painstakingly gathered intelligence, the police detectives located and arrested the suspect at his lodge in Nsukka on July 2, 2025.
“During interrogation, he confessed to the crime. The deceased’s iPhone was immediately recovered from him. A bottle of Asconi Agor red wine, which the deceased had brought to the hotel, was also found in his possession.
“He later led detectives to recover the deceased’s Redmi tablet and earbuds, which he had thrown out through the hotel window in a bag after committing the crime,” the police spokesman said.
Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the detectives for the successful arrest of the suspect.
He reassured the public of the Command’s commitment to ensuring justice, security, and the rule of law.
CP Giwa also urged parents and guardians to closely monitor their children and wards, and cautioned young people against indulging in social vices and succumbing to negative peer pressure.
