Two suspects arrested over murder of seven-year-old boy
The Edo State Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with the gruesome murder of a seven-year-old boy, Evans Okojabhole, whose mutilated body was found dumped near his home in the Irrua area of the state.
The suspects, identified as 45-year-old Pastor Ijebor Simon and 23-year-old Destiny Okojabhole, were apprehended after preliminary investigations linked them to the horrific crime.
The shocking discovery reportedly sent shocking waves through the residents of Irrua after the missing child was found with his stomach ripped open, his feet severed from the ankle, and several fingers cut off.
Disclosing the arrests on Wednesday via his X.com handle, the police command’s spokesperson, Moses Yamu, described the incident as a heinous crime.
“The Edo State Police Command received a case of murder reported by one John Okhojibole of Jehovah’s Witness Road, off Elebesunu Street in Irrua,” Yamu stated.
According to the police, Evans Okojabhole was reported missing around 1:45pm on February 22, 2025, before his lifeless and dismembered body was discovered in a bush 24 hours later.
Following an investigation, the two suspects were detained and transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department in Benin City for further interrogation.
“The suspects were taken into custody by officers from the Irrua Divisional Headquarters. They have since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department in Benin City for further interrogation,” the statement read.
While the state reeled from the horror of the child’s killing, tragedy struck again when suspected herdsmen ambushed and killed a 50-year-old vigilante commander, Victor Ogedengbe, at his farm in Erah Camp, Owan East Local Government Area.
The attack, which occurred around 7:30 am on Tuesday, prompted swift action from security operatives.
Yamu named the three suspects linked to the vigilante commander’s murder as Ibrahim Agboje (King), Yakubu Abdulkareem, and Kareem Audu.
“His brutal murder prompted swift action from security operatives, leading to the arrest of three suspects: Ibrahim Agboje (King), Yakubu AbdulKareem, and Kareem Audu, all from Erah Community.
“They have also been handed over to the State Criminal Investigations Department for further probing,” the statement partly read.
In the wake of these chilling crimes, the command announced that it had ramped up security in Uzanu and surrounding areas, where two other men were recently killed on their farms in Okpekpe Community by suspected herdsmen.
The Commissioner of Police, Betty Enekpen Otimenyin, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to public safety.
Yamu quoted the CP as saying, “The Command has reviewed the security deployment in Uzanu and environs regarding the killing of two men by suspected herdsmen while in their farms in Okpekpe Community, to apprehend the perpetrators and forestall a recurrence.”
She urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with law enforcement agencies, stressing the importance of community involvement in tackling crime.
“The CP wishes to reiterate the Command’s commitment to a safer Edo State, appreciates the support from the general public, and appeals for more cooperation from the good people of the State to ‘See Something and Say Something.’”
