The Police in Bayelsa State have arrested a youth pastor for allegedly killing a 26-year-old lady identified as Kate Ogwoh in Okaka community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the suspect identified as Joseph Fekala reportedly strangled the victim to death on Thursday, and buried her in a shallow grave in his bedroom.
A statement by the state Commissioner of Police, Ben Okolo, said the 27-year-old suspect was apprehended on Friday and detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID).
Okolo said the command had received information on the incident and had deployed immediately to the area.
“We understand that he buried her in his room. We have made an arrangement for the Homicide Section of the State CIID to do the needful by doing proper exhumation in line with police proceedings so that we will ensure that the matter is investigated properly and the suspect faces justice,” he stated.
The victim’s father, Dick Ogwoh, said before the suspect’s arrest, his wife told him she called their daughter’s mobile many times but it didn’t connect.
According to him, Kate, who was a businesswoman, and the younger sister of the suspect were friends and former schoolmates.
He said the victim was on a visit to the suspect’s home when the incident happened.
Ogwoh said they became uncomfortable and suspicious when they could not reach Kate on the phone for a day, which prompted their visit to the suspect’s house.
“My wife called me to say that my daughter’s number was not going through. From morning till evening, the number didn’t connect. My wife told me the boy (Fekala) owed Kate N50,000 and he refused to pay the money. Each time she (Kate) called him, he would not pick his call.
“I asked the boy where my daughter was and he said he didn’t see her. In the process, I asked him the last time he saw her, and he a day before. I asked him what she wore and he said white polo (shirt) and black jean trousers. I asked him when she left the house, he said around 7 am. His younger sister is my daughter’s schoolmate,” he explained.
The distraught father said he was making a complaint to the police when he received a call informing him that the suspect killed their daughter and buried her in a shallow grave in his room.
