E.E.R: Cynthia Osokogu’s Murderers

A model, yesterday, showed up at the headquarters of Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja, claiming she was a victim of the two undergraduates, who confessed to have killed Cynthia, the only daughter of Gen. Frank Osokogu(rtd), in a hotel located in Lake View Estate in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

The lady, whose identity could not be ascertained, arrived the Police Command at noon, demanding to speak only with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko.

She was directed to the CP’s waiting room before being ushered to the CP’s office, where she described herself as a model.

She reportedly told the CP that she was at the Command in respect of the suspects. She said the two undergraduates, Nwabufo Okwumo, and his cousin, Odera Ezekiel, were the same persons that dispossessed her of her belongings in a hotel in Festac.

However, Vanguard could not get a detailed account of her ordeal in the hands of the suspects, as the CP was said to have immediately directed her to the Area E Commander, Mr. Dan Okoro, who led the team of investigators that uncovered the suspects’ activities.

When contacted, the Command’s boss confirmed the visit, explaining that he directed her to the Commander so that she could physically identify the suspects. He called on other females, who had fallen victims to show up.

He said: “Other victims are advised to show up so that if there is any need to expand our investigation, we will do so.”

Meanwhile, when Vanguard, yesterday, visited hotel in Lake View Estate, where the post-graduate student of Nassarawa State University met her sudden end, no one could offer explanation.

Rather, a private security guard claimed that none of the managers was around, and referred the reporter to the Police.

Independent report from Vanguard

After Killing Her, They Demanded N20million Ransome From Me – Cynthia’s Mother Says

Speaking for the first time from their new GRA residence in Farin Gada area of Jos, Plateau state today, parents of the deceased Mrs. Joy Rita Osokogu and her husband, retired Major General Frank Osokogu wondered why their promising only daughter was killed by her assailants. More touching is the revelation from Mrs Osokogu that Cynthia was not only going to introduce the man she wanted to marry to the family by August this year but that the killers from the pit of hell demanded for a whooping N20 million from her when she eventually got through to them through Cynthia’s phone they had stolen from her after killing her.

While narrating her last moments with Cynthia and her interaction with her killers, Mrs Osokogu said she had always wanted her to get married early because of her fast moves on the ladder of life. Her words: “anytime I see my daughter I said you are too fast little girl of 24 you have everything in life. Her daddy bought a new car for her when she graduated at the age of 24. She took part in Miss Nigeria 2010 and was one of the runners up.

“On Sunday 22^nd July she called to tell me that she had arrived Lagos to collect some goods that had just arrived from overseas and promised to come and see me immediately she arrived from Lagos. So when she did not call me on the day she was supposed to arrive, I called her number but it wasn’t going. At that time I called my husband who lives in Abuja and my senior son to intimate them of what is happening. So I went to the police to complain. But when we called the number again, it was going and someone picked it and said that she would come back. So, I ran to the police and told them everything, they (assailants) also told the police that they cannot speak with Cynthia because she was in the hospital. Not until after two weeks they now told me that I should not bother to call again that she had been killed.”

The bereaved mum said during her interaction with Cynthia’s killers on her phone, they had told her that she was admitted in one Symbol Hospital, Benin city, Edo state which turned out to be a fake name. “I told them that you people said we should send N20 million but the account number they sent to me was fake one. They told me we have killed her; it was after this that I declared her missing”, she added.

While recalling Cynthia’s life journey, Mrs Osokogu said “When she finished her University education, my daughter opted to do her NYSC in Jos instead of Abuja because she wants to stay with me. When she finished she was Miss NYSC for batch B 2010. Early this year she got a job with MTN here in Jos but because the salary was not good she left the work and got admission into Nasarawa State University for post graduate Diploma in Public Administration.”

For Gen. Osokogu, his consolation is his belief that his daughter’s death will serve as a great lesson to other young ladies who believe so much in everyone they meet through the social media. According to him: “even though I have lost my daughter, her loss might not have been in vain because there are lessons other people need to learn from this unfortunate incident. I believe it is stupid for somebody to travel to go and meet friends that he or she had not known because you have been chatting with them in social media network.

“I strongly believe that adventure is just too much and risky. You should know people before you begin to visit them every other person, especially the students have a big lesson to learn for this.”

He said he was informed that Cynthia was missing through her friend, Aisha in Abuja who she had dropped her car with before traveling to Lagos on a journey of no return.“It was when the friend did not see her on the day she promised to return that they started looking for any of the family members. They got in touch with me and said my daughter has traveled, they have not been able to get in touch with her. I told them to come over to my house and they came and told them to go and make statement to the police. From there the search started, that was about the first of August”, Gen Osokogu explained.

- Ireport