A 22-year-old female student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Deborah Sam-Praise Ememem, was reportedly murdered in a hotel following a disagreement over additional payment for a second round of sexual activity.
The Enugu State Police Command disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe.
According to the statement, the suspect, Emmanuel Gambo, also 22 and a second-year student of Material and Metallurgical Engineering at UNN, was identified as the individual responsible for the killing. Gambo, who hails from Kogi State, allegedly killed Ememem after she demanded an extra ₦15,000 following an initial ₦5,000 payment.
The police revealed that the tragic incident took place at a hotel in Obukpa, Nsukka, on the night of June 14, 2025. An altercation broke out between the two in the early hours of June 15 after Ememem allegedly insisted on the additional payment. The argument turned violent, leading to Gambo strangling her to death.
In an attempt to conceal the crime, Gambo reportedly wrapped the victim’s body in a towel and a curtain and hid it under the bed. Hotel staff discovered the decomposing body on June 16, 2025, after noticing a strong stench from the room. The suspect had checked in under a false identity and provided an untraceable phone number, making it initially difficult to locate him.
However, acting on intelligence, police operatives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) tracked and arrested Gambo at his residence in Nsukka on July 2, 2025. During questioning, he confessed to the crime. Officers recovered Ememem’s iPhone from him and later retrieved her Redmi tablet and earbuds, which he had discarded through the hotel window.
Items found in Gambo’s possession also included a bottle of Asconi Agor red wine that the victim had brought to the hotel.
Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, praised the detectives for their diligence in apprehending the suspect. He assured the public that the police would pursue justice and uphold the rule of law. He further urged parents to be vigilant regarding their children’s activities and warned young people against engaging in risky behavior and yielding to negative influences.
