Police arrest ‘one-chance’ suspects linked to killing of Benue lady, Grace Alewa in Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a notorious “one-chance” robbery syndicate allegedly responsible for the abduction and killing of Grace Godwin Alewa, a 23-year-old petrol station attendant.
Grace, who hailed from Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, was reportedly abducted on Friday, July 11, while returning home from work.
She had unknowingly boarded a commercial vehicle operated by kidnappers posing as transporters.
After dispossessing her of her belongings, the criminals contacted her family and demanded a ransom of N1 million for her release.
It remains unclear whether the ransom was paid or negotiations were ongoing when Grace was murdered.
Her body was later found dumped along Abubakar Street in the Alex Ekwueme District of Jabi. She was discovered around 6:00 a.m. the next morning and rushed to the hospital by police operatives, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Her death triggered outrage, especially after misleading social media claims suggested she had been involved in a transactional relationship.
These claims were strongly denied by her family and colleagues, who described her as a hardworking young woman on her way home from work.
In response to the incident, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, ordered a tactical manhunt and directed operatives to intensify efforts to dismantle one-chance syndicates in the capital.
Acting on this directive, the Scorpion Squad led by ACP Victor Godfrey launched a series of intelligence-led raids between July 12 and 26, which led to the arrest of three suspects: Sunday Uduma, also known as Akidi, aged 39 and from Ohafia in Abia State; Godwin Eze, aged 39 from Cross River State; and Nnaiji Ikenna, aged 33 from Imo State.
Police sources disclosed that the arrests were made through what they described as “actionable reconstructive digital intelligence.”
The suspects are said to have made useful confessional statements linking them to the crime. The black Mazda 323 vehicle allegedly used in the operation has also been recovered.
Further investigations revealed that one of the suspects, Sunday Uduma, had previously been arrested on February 11, 2024, for a similar one-chance robbery and was remanded at the Keffi Correctional Facility.
It is yet to be determined how he regained freedom and resumed criminal activities.
The police stated that the suspects remain in custody and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
