Major General Frank Osokogu's missing daughter found in Lagos mortuary

The Lagos State Police Command has commenced investigations into the death of Cynthia Osokogu, the only daughter of Major General Frank Osokogu (retd), who was reported missing on July 22, 2012.

The Media learnt that Osokogu, who was based in Nassarawa, went to visit a friend in Abuja before leaving for Lagos to purchase goods for her boutique.

According to reliable sources, the 24-year-old was received at the Muritala Muhammed Airport, Lagos by unknown persons, who took her to a hotel in FESTAC area of the state before she disappeared.

It was learnt that attempts by family members to ascertain her whereabouts were made more difficult because none of them lived in Lagos.

As weeks went by, concerned friends and relatives sent messages through BlackBerry device and social media about the missing girl but no information regarding her whereabouts was forthcoming.

But her corpse had been found in a mortuary. It was learnt that family and friends had thought she was missing because they did not know that she was dead.

One of the sources said, “There are indications Osukogwu, who is a postgraduate student of Nasarawa State University, was killed at the hotel before her corpse was transferred to the mortuary.

“Police investigations suggest that Osukogwu was robbed and killed in the hotel she lodged in by the same people she was supposed to do business with.”

Our correspondent learnt that policemen had interrogated some employees of the hotel and had arrested some suspects after the hotel management presented CCTV footage of the culprits while entering her room.

The culprits were said to be the same people who actually paid for her flight ticket to Lagos.

Police sources said the culprits belong to a syndicate that specialised in luring young women to Lagos for “evil purpose”.

Media  learnt that the matter was transferred to Area E Command, FESTAC since July but family of the deceased only got the news of the incident on Saturday.

It was not clear why the police delayed giving the information to the family.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident but said she did not have the details as at press time.

However, a reliable source at the station told our correspondent that six people had been arrested and were being interrogated by the police.

She said, “Six people were arrested on Sunday over the incident and investigations are ongoing.”

http://www.punchng.com/metro/generals-missing-daughter-found-in-lagos-mortuary/

Cynthia Osokogu, the only daughter of Major General Frank Osokogu (retd), who reportedly went missing on July 22, 2012, was strangled in a hotel by students in FESTAC, Lagos, PUNCH Metro has learnt.

A senior police officer, who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the case, said the deceased was drugged, bound hand and foot and then strangled by her assailants.

Osokogu, who was a postgraduate student in Nasarawa, came to Lagos to purchase goods for her boutique.

The deceased was received at the Murtala Muhammed Airport by the students, who later took her to the hotel.

The deceased’s family is based in Jos but she went to her friend’s place in Abuja, where she parked her car before leaving for Lagos.

But the police source said on getting to the hotel, the students used a powerful drug to paralyse her and robbed her of her valuables, including an undisclosed sum of money.

The   source said, “According to the confession obtained from two of the suspects, they met the deceased on the internet and lured her to Lagos to purchase goods at a cheaper rate.

 “On getting to the airport in Lagos, the suspects took her to a hotel, drugged her, and bound her by hand and foot. They confessed to inflicting pains on her and strangling her before stealing her money, phone and identity card.

“The suspects confessed that their modus operandi is to lure young females to Lagos for such purpose. They said they had done it before.”

Our source said when Osokogu’s corpse was discovered by employees of the hotel, the matter was reported to the police but because her phones and identity card had been stolen, there was no way the police could ascertain her identity so her corpse was moved to Isolo General Hospital.

Our source said there were indications that an employee of the unnamed hotel was complicit and had been arrested.

He added that the pharmacist, who gave the rare drug which was used to paralyse the deceased, had been arrested as well and was suspected to be a member of the syndicate.

The police source said the case was reported at the Area E command a few weeks ago but the police only began to make headway recently when they received CCTV footage of the suspects entering the room with the victim.

The source said the police embarked on an undercover operation which led them to Ogun State to arrest one of the suspects.

“The last suspect was arrested at about 3am on Tuesday and we have almost completed investigations. However, only two of the suspects have confessed,” the source said.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, said she could not comment on the issue.

http://www.punchng.com/metro/generals-missing-daughter-strangled-by-students-source/