Police nab 2 over kidnap, murder of 17-year-old UTME candidate in Lagos

The tragic development was confirmed on Wednesday by the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, while addressing journalists at the command headquarters in Ikeja.

According to the police chief, the suspects were apprehended following investigations into the incident, which had sparked outrage and concern among residents.

Tijani said the suspects, identified as Elijah Emmanuel, 23, and Tony Ogenata, 21, were arrested on Monday, at about 8pm, following credible intelligence.

According to him, investigations revealed that Adams was returning from the examination hall on Wednesday, April 22, when the incident happened.

The CP explained that the suspects lured the victim, who was their secondary schoolmate, to their apartment and killed him in the process

He said, “On April 27, 2026, at about 20.00 hours, operatives of the command, acting on credible intelligence, traced and arrested suspected kidnappers at Lucky Fibre, Ikorodu, Lagos.

“The suspects are Elijah Emmanuel, 23, and Tony Ekwen Ogenata, 21. Criminal investigation revealed that the suspects are linked to the kidnapping and gruesome murder of one Thompson Adams, aged 17, which occurred on April 22, 2026. The two boys went out with their friend, Adams, who was their secondary schoolmate. Along the line, they murdered him.”

He further disclosed that the suspects later kept the body in a bag and disposed of it somewhere in the community.

Tijani, however, added that further interrogation exposed the suspects’ involvement in an earlier crime involving a female victim who was killed in November 2025.

He said, “Investigation revealed that they had earlier kidnapped and murdered a female victim on November 30, 2025. The victim was a girlfriend of one of them. They contacted her parents and demanded ransom.”

Tijani said the victim’s family paid N300,000 as ransom, but the suspects still killed her after collecting the money.

“After collecting the N300,000, they still went ahead and murdered the lady,” he added.

The police boss said the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

Recall that in March that a teenager identified simply as Chike, who reportedly travelled from Delta State to visit a friend in Lagos, was shot dead by suspected cultists in the Ikotun area of the state.