The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a man, Manaseh Bitrus Jatau, in connection with the death of his 35-year-old girlfriend, Rebecca Ojonike Jeremiah.
Jeremiah’s body was discovered along Mai Angwa Street in Romi, Kaduna, at about 7am on Saturday, September 5, 2026, the police said.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.
According to Hassan, the discovery was reported by the Officer-in-Charge of the Romi Outstation, following which detectives were immediately deployed to the scene.
He said, “The lifeless body of the deceased was sighted along Mai Angwa Street, Romi, with cotton wool stuffed in her nose.”
The police spokesman said detectives took the woman to St Gerald Hospital, Kakuri, Kaduna, where a medical doctor confirmed her death.
He added that her remains had been deposited at the hospital mortuary pending an autopsy.
Preliminary investigation, according to Hassan, revealed that Jatau was the last person known to have contacted Jeremiah before her death and had invited her to meet him at Ebano Joint, Romi.
The suspect was subsequently traced to his workplace at Tomato Jos Company in the Maraban Jos area of Kaduna, where he was arrested.
Hassan said Jatau allegedly confessed during interrogation to having a physical altercation with Jeremiah at his residence over a phone call from another woman.
The PPRO stated, “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to having had a fight with the deceased in his room over a phone call from another lady, which resulted in her death.”
Hassan further said the suspect allegedly admitted to dumping Jeremiah’s body in an open field near his residence in an attempt to conceal the incident.
He said, “He further confessed to have dumped the body in an open field close to his house in an attempt to conceal the crime.”
The suspect remains in police custody as detectives continue investigating the circumstances surrounding Jeremiah’s death.
The police said Jatau would be charged to court after the completion of the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, condemned acts of violence and urged residents to resolve disputes peacefully.
The commissioner also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to securing justice for victims and ensuring that anyone found culpable faces the law.
He urged members of the public to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could help prevent violence and other criminal activities across the state.
