Suspected Killer Of Kogi Photojournalist Commits Suicide In Hotel

 

Adebayo Pelumi (left) and the victim 

The man accused of killing photojournalist Ayo Aiyepekun in Lokoja, Kogi State, has reportedly taken his own life.

The suspect, Adebayo Pelumi, also a photographer, allegedly murdered Ayo on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. 

It was gathered that the suspect was found dead on Thursday morning in a hotel room located in Lokoja.

A staff members of the hotel, who pleaded for anonymity, told the newsmen that Adebayo Pelumi lodged in their hotel on Wednesday afternoon and was found dead around 1 PM, when one of the stewards of the hotel went to clean up the room at check-out time.

The hotel management quickly alerted the police, who arrived and identified him as the prime suspect they had been hunting.

A bottle of coca cola and a sniper was also seen in the hotel room.

The police took the remains of the suspected killer to the mortuary of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, where the corpse was deposited.

An eyewitness account from someone who worked with InsideStory online media stated that he was in the office with the victim, doing some video and photo editing, when the suspect called the victim to help him out at his poultry farm, which is located inside the same compound.

The source stated that it was around 8:30 pm when the suspect called him, but he was unaware that Ayo was not the only person in the office.

The moment Ayo got out to meet Adebayo, he was hit with an iron repeatedly and killed there.

The eyewitness said he saw the suspect lifting the body into a deep freezer before moving the body into his Hilux Van, prompting him to raise alarm.

“It was around 7:30 pm when the suspect called him, but he didn’t know that Ayo was not the only person in the office. Immediately, Ayo got out, the culprit hit him with an iron repeatedly and killed him there. The eyewitness said he saw the suspect lifting the body into a deep freezer before moving the body into his Hilux Van, prompting him to raise the alarm,” he explained.

“I called some people on the phone who mobilized the vigilante in the area, but before they came, the neighbour had made away with the dead body."

The witness said that along with the vigilante, they searched the area but could only see blood stains in the freezer and around the poultry stall

“While the vigilantes were still with us, the suspect drove into the compound in his van and when he saw us, he ran, but the vigilantes chased him. Along the line, his van had an accident during the chase and he jumped out of the vehicle and fled.”

The witness said the van was also stained with human blood.

He said that while the body was yet to be recovered, they feared that ritual may be the reason for the murder. ‎‎

The case was however reported on Wednesday at the State Police Headquarters in Lokoja.

It was further gathered that the suspect's wife separated from him two months ago due to constant domestic violence.