By Anuoluwa Amao
What began as an argument over a phone call has ended in tragedy in Kaduna, after a man allegedly confessed to killing his girlfriend during a fight and then dumping her body in an open field to hide what he’d done.
The suspect, identified as Manaseh Bitrus Jatau, is now in police custody following the death of his girlfriend, Rebecca Jeremiah, a resident of the Karatudu area of Kaduna. Details of the case were shared Friday by the Kaduna Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, who confirmed Jatau’s arrest in connection with the killing.
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According to Hassan, Rebecca’s body was found along Mai Angwa Street in Romi on September 5, at around 7:00 a.m., with cotton wool discovered stuffed in her nostrils. Police detectives from the Romi Outstation responded to the scene and rushed her to St. Gerald Hospital in Kakuri, where a doctor pronounced her dead on arrival. Her body was subsequently moved to the hospital mortuary pending an autopsy.
Investigators quickly zeroed in on Jatau after establishing that he had been the last person to contact Rebecca, allegedly summoning her to meet him at Ebano Joint in Romi shortly before her death. That lead led officers to his workplace at Tomato Jos Company in the Maraban Jos area, where he was arrested.
Under interrogation, Hassan said, Jatau admitted that a physical altercation broke out between him and Rebecca inside his room, sparked by a phone call he’d received from another woman. The fight, he reportedly confessed, resulted in her death after which he moved her body to an open field near his home in an attempt to cover up what had happened.
The case remains under active investigation, with police confirming that Jatau will be formally charged once the process is complete.
Kaduna’s Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, condemned the killing in the strongest terms, calling on members of the public to resolve disputes peacefully rather than resorting to violence.
He also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to pursuing justice for victims and ensuring that those responsible for crimes are held accountable