Police arrest man for alleged murder of 21-year-old girl in Edo

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested a 31-year-old, Joshua Osaigbovo, for the alleged murder of a 21-year-old girl, Osato Festus Edogiaweria, in Benin City.

DAILY POST reports that the operatives also exhumed the remains of the girl from a shallow grave where she was buried by the suspect at a bush close to his residence at Iyanomon community in the Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state.

Moses Yamu, the Public Relations Officer of the Command, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday in Benin City.

Yamu said the suspect was arrested by the operatives of the Family Unit through painstaking investigation and technical intelligence.

According to him, following a case of a missing person reported on 25th April 2025 at Aduwawa Division by Mrs. Ojo, that her daughter, Osato Festus Edogiaweria, 21 years old, left home on 20th April 2025 in the company of her friend and had not been heard from since then.

“The case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department for further investigation.

“Demonstrating the Command’s resolve to rid the state of all forms of crime and criminality, operatives of the Family Unit, through painstaking investigation and technical intelligence, arrested one Joshua Osaigbovo, 31 years, a resident of Iyanomon community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, in connection with the crime on June 18, 2025.

During interrogation, the suspect confessed to having invited the said Osato Festus (now deceased) to his residence on 27th April 2025, and in the course of their stay, had an altercation that led to a fight where the deceased fell, hit her head on the ground, and died.

“He further confessed that he took the dead body of the lady in a wheelbarrow to a bush nearby, dug and buried her in a shallow grave a few meters away from his residence.

“The suspect today, 20th June 2025, led operatives of the Command to the shallow grave at the Iyanomon community, where the remains of the girl were exhumed following all necessary procedures,” he said.

The Command’s image maker said the phone of the deceased was recovered from the suspect.

He said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.