Detectives in Kenya have arrested two Nigerians, William Opia and Johnbull Asbor, for allegedly murdering and dismembering Rita Waeni, a 20-year-old student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, in an apartment.
According to Kenya’s The Nation Media Group on its website on Monday, the discovery of Waeni’s head, covered in a sack and wrapped in a purple blouse, sent shockwaves through the community and intensified the search for her killers.
The suspects were reportedly living illegally in Kenya.
Opia’s passport was said to have expired while Asbor claimed he lost his travel documents two years ago.
According to the newspaper, DCI detectives discovered the duo hiding in an apartment in Ndenderu, Kiambu County, not far from where Waeni’s head was later found.
DCI’s Criminal Research and Intelligence Bureau tracked the suspects using leads and evidence collected from the Kasarani crime scene.
Constable Benjamin Wangila from Kasarani DCI offices informed a Makadara court that the suspects’ proximity to the discovery of body parts strengthened the case against them.
The police disclosed that a hatchet, a butcher’s knife, a Kenyan national ID (belonging to an unknown person), six mobile phones, three laptops, 10 SIM cards, and various other items were recovered from the suspects’ hideout.
“The investigation team is seeking to obtain call data records for all the SIM cards and mobile phone numbers recovered from the respondents to ascertain whether they were involved in the murder,” the paper quoted Constable Benjamin Wangila in an affidavit filed to the court.
Authorities plan to analyse call data from the seized devices to establish the suspects’ connection to the murder.
Wangila stated in a court affidavit that obtaining blood samples for DNA analysis and comparison against crime scene samples is crucial.
Concerns were raised about the suspects being flight risks due to their lack of legal residency and fixed address, leading Senior Principal Magistrate Agnes Mwangi of Makadara Law Courts to grant an eight-day detention order at Kasarani police station.
The affidavit disclosed that Opia allegedly purchased the hatchet online for self-defence.
The investigation into Waeni’s murder is ongoing, with authorities working to comprehend the motive and reconstruct the events leading to her tragic death.
Waeni’s family struggled to identify her head at the City Mortuary on Monday, despite DCI confirming its recovery from a Kiambu dam on Sunday.
Records indicated the head belonged to an unknown female adult, causing further confusion and pain for the grieving family.
Additionally, Waeni’s missing phone was found at the crime scene.
The PUNCH.
