How ex-General’s daughter, Cynthia, was killed by facebook ‘friends’

IKEJA— Indications emerged, Tuesday, that the late Cynthia Osokogu, the only daughter of General Frank  Osokogu (rtd), whose  body was discovered in a Lagos morgue a month after she was declared missing, could have been murdered by her facebook acquaintances.

Already, six persons, among them two  university students, a pharmacist and an employee of the hotel where the 24-year-old post-graduate student was murdered have been arrested.

Investigation into the murder, as reliably gathered, revealed that Cynthia was strangled to death in the hotel by her assailants, who thereafter left with an undisclosed amount, her student identity card and phones.

Report said the beautiful and vivacious Cynthia had chatted with the two undergraduates on facebook for months.

In the process, they reportedly got to know that she owned a boutique in Nasarawa State, following which they reportedly had a business proposal with her, promising  to host her whenever she visited Lagos.

On her arrival at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, on July 22, 2012, she was reportedly picked up by the two undergraduates  and driven to a hotel in Festac Town. Unknown to her, she was embarking on a journey of no return.

At the hotel, her drink was reportedly drugged before she was strangled to death. Vanguard reliably gathered that after her death, one of her assailants  left the room and later put a call to the hoteliers, informing them that there was a corpse in one of the rooms.

The hotel, as gathered, took the corpse to the Isolo General Hospital mortuary. Sources informed that efforts by the hoteliers to contact family of the deceased proved abortive as there was reportedly nothing to trace her close relatives or friends.

Meanwhile, back in Nasarawa State where her family is said to be based, apprehension had set in following her disappearance. She was, therefore, declared missing, with her pictures dropped at some police divisions in the state.

How the suspects were arrested

Vanguard reliably gathered that after the murder,  the killers deleted all information and chats with the deceased from their facebook. But, along the line, the deceased phone was  dialled and one of the suspects reportedly answered. When  the call log was checked from the service provider, the receiver was traced to Festac Town in the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area.

Again, the Close Circuit Television stationed in the hotel was said to have revealed identities of the killers following which two of them  were arrested and their confessional statement led to the arrest of others.

During interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to have bought the drugs with which they drugged Cynthia’s drink  from a pharmacist, thereby leading  to his arrest. It was at this point that her family was reportedly  contacted.

Vanguard reliably gathered that during investigation, the two undergraduates, whose identities could not be ascertained,  confessed to have killed Cynthia.

They also reportedly confessed to belong to a syndicate which specialised in luring unsuspecting  rich women with the aim of dispossessing them of their belongings, particularly cash.

The late Cynthia, as gathered, was not their first victim, as they were said to have confessed to the police that she was their sixth victim.

When contacted, spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the arrest, but was not forthcoming with details.

Journalist:-  EVELYN USMAN  

Source:- Vanguard