Varsity Student Arrested for Strangling Woman to Death in Hotel Over ₦15,000
By: Olufemi Orunsola
The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Emmanuel Gambo, over the alleged murder of a young woman, Deborah Sam-Praise Ememem, whose decomposing body was found beneath a hotel bed in Obukpa, Nsukka.
Police spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the arrest in a statement released on Tuesday via X (formerly Twitter), revealing that the suspect had confessed to the crime.
The victim’s personal belongings, including her iPhone, were recovered from him.
Gambo, a second-year student of Material and Metallurgical Engineering, UNN, who hails from Kogi State, reportedly checked into the hotel with the deceased on June 14, 2025, around 9:00 p.m.
According to police investigations, an argument broke out the following morning after the victim allegedly demanded an additional ₦15,000 following a second round of sexual intercourse. She had initially been paid ₦5,000.
The dispute turned violent, and Gambo allegedly strangled the victim to death. He then wrapped her body in a towel and curtain, hiding it under the bed.
Hotel staff discovered the decomposing body on June 16 after noticing a foul odour emanating from the room.
Efforts to identify the suspect were initially hampered, as he had used a false name and provided an unreachable phone number at check-in.
However, weeks of intelligence-led investigation led to his arrest at his lodge in Nsukka on July 2.
During interrogation, Gambo confessed to the crime. In addition to the recovered iPhone, police also retrieved other items belonging to the deceased, including a bottle of red wine, a tablet, and earbuds, which the suspect had thrown out of the hotel room window in a bag.
Commending the efforts of the homicide detectives, Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to justice and public safety.
He also urged parents to closely monitor their children and advised young people to stay away from social vices and negative influences.
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