The Plateau State Police Command has arrested a 200-level student of Agriculture at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), identified as Nanpon Timnan, for allegedly killing his best friend, Peter Mafuyai, a 300-level student of the Department of Banking and Finance of the same institution, and burying him in a shallow grave.
The gruesome incident reportedly happened on Saturday, October 25, at the suspect’s off-campus residence in the Laranto area of Jos.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the two were close friends who often spent time together due to their passion for music and had just returned from a studio session when Timnan murdered the deceased.
A fellow student who narrated the incident said the two friends had earlier gone out to play football, returned home, and later proceeded to a music studio for a recording session before returning to their residence.
“Upon returning from the studio, he (Nanpon) went to get a machete. The other occupants of the compound, who were also friends with them, asked what he wanted to do with it, and he said he needed it for something,” the student, who pleaded anonymity, said.
Continuing, he said:
“He then struck his friend with the machete. The other occupants of the compound began shouting and asking what the victim had done to deserve that, but he did not respond. They ran out to call for help, and by the time they returned, he had buried the body behind the house in a shallow grave.
“The police have since invited all the friends for questioning and are currently investigating the matter.”
Though the motive for the murder is yet to be established, a police source who also confirmed the arrest of the suspect said preliminary investigation has revealed that the two friends may have fallen out due to the music project they were working on together.
According to the police source, operatives of the Plateau State Command attached to the Laranto Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, effected the arrest of the suspect after receiving a distress call from the scene.
“Following the distress call received at about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, the Divisional Police Officer of the Laranto Division led a team of officers to the scene, where the suspect was arrested.
“The suspect is currently in custody while investigations continue to uncover the motive behind the gruesome killing,” the police source said, adding that the remains have been exhumed and deposited at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.
When contacted, the university’s Acting Head of Information, Tongdyen Dachung, declined to comment on the matter but promised to confirm before responding officially.
However, the President of the Student Union Government (SUG), Jane Pwajok, said the case was being handled by the police and that the union was working to confirm the full details of what actually transpired.
The Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Alfred Alabo, has also not made any statement on the murder, as efforts to reach him were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls placed to him nor responded to a text message sent to him.
