The killing of a 22-year-old Ramatu Isah by Godwin David Idoko, took the New Year day celebrations of the peace-loving people of RafiYashin neighbourhood  in Niger State aback.  In this piece, ABU NMODU, describes how the suspect was dragged to the homicide section of the state criminal investigations department (SCID) in Minna by the combined efforts of neighbours within the area

Rafin Yashin is in the Bosso local government area of Niger State and a suburb of Minna, the state capital known for its quiet neighbourhoods, but up till now the residents are yet to recover from the shocking discovery of the horror associated with the killing of a 22-year- old lady who was hawking groundnuts one fateful day.

LEADERSHIP Weekend’s findings revealed that Godwin was a 500-level student of Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna before he was expelled for a misdemeanour in 2007.

It was gathered that despite being expelled from the school, he still maintained an apartment at the Rafis Yashi area near the old campus of FUT where he lured the lady to visit him on New Year’s day.

Ramatu was from Katsina and was staying with her uncle in Bosso estate near Rafin Yashin, and Godwin lured her into his apartment under the pretence of buying groundnuts.

LEADERSHIP’s investigation revealed that Ramatu, while in the room resisted Godwin’s attempt to rape her but he beheaded her with a knife after she threatened to report him to the police.

It was learnt that after killing her, Godwin put Ramat’s head into a sack and hid her body in a toilet near where he was living.
But luck ran out on him when the neighbours became suspicious of his movements on the fateful day.

It was learnt that Godwin’s strange activities became known to one of the neighbours on the day, at about 3pm, because they saw blood stains all over his hands and he could not give any reasonable explanation of how he came about the bloody stains.

It was learnt that when one of the neighbours wanted to make further inquiries as to why Godwin was hurriedly packing his luggage, he replied that he was in haste to travel to Kaduna to visit his mother who resides there.

It was also gathered that the neighbour was not satisfied with his explanation and became suspicious that something was fishy by his actions. This development attracted other neighbours who forced him to open his room and the bathroom door where Ramatu’s corpse was found with her head already severed from her body.

Ramatu was said to be a divorcee from Offa in Kwara State and had been staying in Kastina for sometime before her murder. Godwin, knowing that his bubble had burst, started pleading with his neighbours not to expose him, as his act was the handwork of the devil.

It was also learnt that the youths in the area threatened to lynch him but the elders promptly intervened before alerting the nearby police patrol team that came to whisk him away to the state police headquarters in Minna.

The police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr. Pius Edobor, confirmed the incident and said Ramatu re-located to Minna in October last year, to stay with her uncle in the area.

He said the late Ramatu used to hawk groundnuts and the assailant used the opportunity to invite her to his room, and thereafter beheaded her.

He said Godwin was making useful confessional statements to the men of the homicide section of the state criminal investigation department (SCID).

Some neighbours who spoke to LEADERSHIP Weekend confirmed that Godwin Idoko was a member of a dreaded cult at FUT Minna and was expelled at 500-level in 2007 by the school authority due to his strange behaviour.

They disclosed that Godwin had been around since he was expelled, adding that those that he was expelled with denounced their membership and were recalled while Godwin continued with his nefarious act and was still hanging around the school.

One of the neighbours said “it was in the course of all his acts that he was jailed by a magistrate court for stealing a laptop computer and GSM handset sometime in 2008, with an option of fine, which was paid by his mother who came from Kaduna and we all knew that something is always fishy about him”.

The Head of Information and Public Relations of FUT Minna, Mrs Legbo Lydia, told LEADERSHIP Weekend that Godwin is no longer a student of the institution and as such the school would not have anything to say about him.