By Ghazali Ibrahim
The decomposing body of missing photojournalist Ayo Aiyepeku, feared murdered last week, has been recovered in a bush at the Crusher area on the outskirts of Lokoja, Kogi State.
Residents reportedly alerted authorities after perceiving a strong stench in the area on Sunday evening.
According to a TVC News report, the Lokoja Local Government Chairman and security operatives were called to the scene, where the remains were found and retrieved.
A video from the recovery operation shows Aiyepeku’s covered body on a stretcher being moved from a white Toyota Hilux into what appeared to be a hospital building for forensic examination.
A man heard in the clip stated, “The police will be with them when they are doing the forensic examination in this place.”
Aiyepeku was suspected to have been killed by Jacob Adebayo Pelumi, a staff member of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) and the journalist’s neighbour.
Pelumi allegedly lured Aiyepeku to his poultry farm, struck him on the head with an iron object, and dismembered his body.
However, in a shocking twist, Pelumi’s own body was discovered last Thursday in a room at Abidan 115 Hotel in Lokoja in what witnesses described as a suicide.
The state government ordered the hotel sealed the following day to “preserve evidence and facilitate a thorough inquiry by the relevant authorities.”
As of press time, the Kogi State Police Command had not released an official statement on the recovery of Aiyepeku’s remains or the ongoing investigation.
The discovery of the journalist’s body and the death of the prime suspect have sparked widespread calls for a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
