Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have apprehended a male student from the Material and Metallurgical Engineering Department at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in connection with the suspected murder of a fellow student.

According to the command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the arrest followed a comprehensive intelligence-led investigation into the tragic death of 22-year-old Deborah Sam-Praise Ememem, whose lifeless body was discovered in a hotel room in Nsukka.

Ndukwe reported that the male suspect, identified as Emmanuel Gambo and hailing from Kogi State, was taken into custody after detectives recovered several of Ememem’s personal belongings, including her iPhone, tablet, and earbuds.

The spokesperson elaborated that the case was initially reported to the Nsukka Urban Police Division but was soon transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (State CID) for a more thorough inquiry.

Investigators uncovered that on June 14, 2025, Gambo checked into a hotel in Obukpa, Nsukka, with the deceased. Following a second round of intercourse in the early hours of June 15, a dispute reportedly arose when Ememem demanded an additional N15,000 from the suspect, in addition to the N5,000 he had already paid.

The disagreement escalated into violence, leading to Gambo allegedly strangling Ememem to death. After committing the act, he allegedly wrapped her body in a towel and a curtain torn from the hotel room, concealing her remains beneath the bed.

On June 16, hotel staff reported a foul odor emanating from the room, prompting an investigation that led to the discovery of the decomposing body.

Following diligent and credible intelligence gathering, police detectives located and arrested Gambo at his lodge in Nsukka on July 2, 2025. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to the crime, bringing further closure to the ongoing investigation.