By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The Kogi State Police Command has launched a full-scale investigation following the grim discovery of a female student’s body dumped along the ever-busy Lokoja-Abuja Highway.
The deceased, who has now been identified as Sarah Idoko, was a final-year student of the Federal University Lokoja (FULokoja).
Her lifeless body was found on Saturday night by passers-by near the Crusher area along the Felele axis of Lokoja, who quickly raised the alarm and alerted security operatives.
According to eyewitness accounts from the scene, a mysterious vehicle was spotted pulling up briefly near the spot at about 8:00 p.m. configuration. The occupants allegedly dumped the body by the roadside before the driver sped off into the night.
There was initial confusion surrounding her identity when first responders recovered an identity card from the scene belonging to a student of the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja. The ID card indicated that the bearer was enrolled in the Higher National Diploma (HND) programme under the Department of Office Technology Management for the 2024/2025 academic session. However, the police command has since clarified the mix-up, confirming that Sarah was indeed a student of the Federal University Lokoja.
Confirming the tragic incident, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Kankarofi, stated that the command is pulling out all the stops to unravel the circumstances surrounding her untimely death. He vowed that the police would track down and apprehend those responsible for the heinous act.
CP Kankarofi further assured residents of the state that the findings of the ongoing investigation would be made public at the appropriate time, reiterating the command’s unalloyed commitment to ensuring that the deceased gets justice.
Meanwhile, the tragic development has sparked serious outrage among the student community. Reacting to the incident, the Association of Nigeria Female Students (ANFS), Kogi State Chapter, strongly condemned the killing, describing it as cruel, unfortunate, and completely unacceptable.
In a statement jointly signed by its State Coordinator, Celina James, the association expressed deep sorrow over the loss and called on security agencies to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation to ensure the perpetrators face the full wrath of the law.
The female student body also made a passionate appeal to the relevant authorities to urgently beef up security around campuses and vulnerable student communities to prevent a recurrence of such ugly incidents.
They lamented that the tragic passing of Sarah Ojodomo has once again brought to the fore nagging concerns regarding the safety of students and residents along the Felele corridor a major gateway to Lokoja that has unfortunately earned notoriety for several security-related incidents in recent years.
