The Enugu State Police Command has narrated how a 22-year-old woman, Deborah Sam-Praise Ememem, was allegedly murdered in a hotel room in Nsukka by a second-year student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

The suspect, identified as Emmanuel Gambo from Kogi State, is a student of the Department of Material and Metallurgical Engineering at UNN. However, the police did not disclose the department or institution attended by the deceased.

In a statement released yesterday, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed that several of the deceased’s personal items, including her iPhone, tablet, earbuds, and other belongings had been recovered.

Ndukwe said the incident, initially reported to the Nsukka Urban Police Division, was transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

According to him, “Findings revealed that on June 14, 2025, at about 9:00 p.m., the suspect, a second-year student of Material and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), checked into a hotel in Obukpa, Nsukka, with the deceased.

“In the early hours of June 15, 2025, a dispute ensued after a second round of intercourse, during which the deceased allegedly demanded an additional N15,000 from the suspect, in addition to the N5,000 earlier paid. The disagreement turned violent, and the suspect strangled her to death.”

Ndukwe added that Gambo wrapped the victim’s body in a towel and curtain torn from the hotel room, then concealed it under the bed.

“On June 16, 2025, at about 9:00 a.m., hotel staff noticed a foul odour coming from the room. Upon investigation, the decomposing body was discovered concealed beneath the bed,” he said.

He further revealed that the suspect had provided a false name and an unreachable phone number in the hotel’s registration form, initially hampering efforts to trace him.

“However, acting on credible and painstakingly gathered intelligence, police detectives located and arrested the suspect at his lodge in Nsukka on July 2, 2025. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime. The deceased’s iPhone was immediately recovered from him. A bottle of Asconi Agor red wine, which the deceased had brought to the hotel, was also found in his possession,” Ndukwe said.

He added that the suspect later led detectives to recover the victim’s Redmi tablet and earbuds, which he had thrown out through the hotel window in a bag after the incident.