-Deborah Akinyosoye
The Edo State Police Command has detained a 16-year-old girl, Aisha Suleiman, who is accused of fatally poisoning her ex-boyfriend, identified as Emmanuel, and four other young men in Afashio community in the Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The tragic discovery was reported on October 26, 2024, when Emmanuel’s father, Mr Elogie Ezekiel, arrived at his son’s apartment around 6:30 a.m. that day and saw some lifeless bodies in the house.
Ezekiel reportedly found the body of a young man, Nurudeen, in the corridor.
Moving further into the apartment, he discovered Emmanuel, 19, and his girlfriend, identified as Ada Samuel, also 16, lying lifeless on the bedroom bed.
Two other friends of Emmanuel’s, Samuel and Jeffrey Ayegwalo, both siblings, were found unresponsive in the sitting room.
All five were immediately transported to the hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.
Some sources in the area noted that the victims had just consumed a pot of pepper soup prepared by Suleiman for the five friends.
The investigation took a significant turn three days later when police received a report that Suleiman, who was alleged to have poisoned the victims, was about to be lynched by a group of young men from the community.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Moses Yamu, told our correspondent on Friday that police officers from the Jattu Division were quickly mobilised to the scene, intervened, and transported Suleiman safely to the station.
“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a thorough investigation,” Yamu added.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umoru Ozigi, has ordered a detailed investigation, instructing officers to pursue every possible lead to determine the true cause of death in the case.
He also warned against any form of mob action, urging the community to allow the police to carry out their duties. CP Ozigi reassured the public that justice would be pursued diligently.