The Lagos State Police Command has indicated that suspects arrested in connection with the death of Aribemchukwu, the daughter of Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, may be charged with conspiracy and murder.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, provided this information following an inquiry by our correspondent on Saturday.
Saturday PUNCH reported that Aribemchukwu, also known as Chuchu, was allegedly killed in her residence at Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos State. Although a family source claimed she was killed on Tuesday night, her body was discovered on Wednesday morning outside her residence’s gate.
Three of her domestic staff—a house help, a security guard, and a driver—have been arrested in connection with the murder. Hundeyin stated that the suspects remain in custody due to the ongoing investigation. He added that they would appear in court once the investigation is concluded and that they might face charges of conspiracy and murder.
“Investigation is still ongoing and that is why the suspects are still in police custody. Once the investigation is concluded, they will be charged to court. They may be charged for conspiracy and murder,” Hundeyin said.
Part of the investigation involves determining whether CCTV footage from the residence is available. “Whether CCTV was available in the apartment or not will be revealed as soon as the investigation is concluded,” Hundeyin added.
A police source revealed that the suspects confessed to the crime during interrogation. According to the source, the deceased was murdered inside her room, and her body was later dragged outside the gate to make it appear as though she was killed there. The suspects attempted to clean up the blood stains but missed some spots because the act occurred at night.
“The deceased was killed in her room and her body was dragged to the front of the gate to make it look like she was killed on the spot. After that, all the blood stains were carefully cleaned but still, they missed some spots. They did not clean it well because it happened at night,” the source said.
The house help reportedly admitted to the crime, saying, “We do am, na we do am” during interrogation, and her statements aligned with the evidence found.
The suspects were also said to have immediately packed all the valuables of the deceased after killing her. The source confirmed that the three domestic workers were employed just a week before the incident.
Aribemchukwu, who was a doctor, had recently married before her untimely death.
When contacted, Benjamin Hundeyin reiterated that the investigation is still ongoing.
