Cynthia Udoka Osokogu was a Nigerian woman who was stalked on Facebook, lured from her residence in Abuja to a Lagos hotel under the pretext of business, then drugged, tied up, robbed, raped, beaten and strangled to death in 2012.
She was a graduate of English Language at Nasarawa State University and was pursuing a master's degree in Public Administration in the same institution after resigning from a job with MTN.
What Cynthia didn't know was that Nwabufor had been stalking her for months, patiently gaining her confidence through frequent chats and postings.
On July 21, 2012, Cynthia flew to Lagos from Abuja to meet with these new "retailers" regarding the better price offer on the clothes and accessories for her fashion boutique.
The two young men picked Cynthia up from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and drove her to Cosmilla Hotel in Lakeview estate in Festac Town.
The next morning, after having spent the night with Cynthia's body, they then abandoned her, left the hotel and quickly unfriended her from their Facebook friends list to remove any trace of their connection.
After the hotel found her body, since her ID cards and mobile phones had been stolen, they could not identify her immediately or call friends and family.
[5] A ceremonial burial was performed at the family residence in Boji-Boji Owa, Ika North Local Government Area of Delta State after a requiem mass.
The Governor of Delta State, Mr. Emmanuel Uduaghan condoled with the Osokogu family and called on the police to conclude investigation quickly and bring the culprits to book.
After Cynthia's murder and investigations progressed through cell phone records and CCTV footages, the police arrested the suspects.
There were pin-point holes in her white eyes as well as inside the upper part of her airways and surface of her lungs, a condition described as ‘petechial hemorrhage'.
Apart from her death resulting from asphyxia, the pathologist, John Oladapo Obafunwa also observed that she had multiple bruises and abrasions suspected to be from biting.
Her autopsy further revealed that a dose of ‘Rohypnol’ sold to the suspects by a pharmacist, Osita Orji, was not responsible for Cynthia's death.
According to reports, these two young men also confessed that they had robbed several other women prior to Cynthia who happened to be their sixth victim.
"She was struggling to see how she could liberate herself or make noise in order to attract people to rescue her"; The investigating officer, FESTAC Area Commander, Dan Okoro said, "But they overpowered her."
But her elder brother, Kenneth, stated that Cynthia never carried any large sums of cash and she never even had an ATM card, she used a checkbook.
Six people were arrested at the beginning of the investigation, they included: Olisaeloka Ezike, 23, and Okwuno Nwabufor, 33; both of whom were identified as the Facebook friends.
Others were Osita Orji, the pharmacist who sold Rohypnol to them and Nonso Ezike, Olisaeloka's brother who assisted in selling the deceased's Blackberry phone.
Orji Osita, a pharmacist, was charged with negligently selling the Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets to Ezike, the 2nd defendant, without a doctor's prescription and without showing due care.
Nonso Ezike (Nwabufo's younger brother) was charged with being in possession of the three stolen blackberry mobile phones belonging to the late Cynthia Osokogu.
Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere admitted as evidence, confessional statements of the culprits recorded in a video.
The Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr Ade Ipaye, prosecuted the murder suspects, revealing details of pictures from the crime scene in the court from a laptop.
The witness added that he and his team followed the first defendant to his home in Festac and recovered the said laptop, along with some phones and various network SIM cards.
The fourth defendant stole somebody’s receipt in Ladipo Market which he used in selling the deceased’s phone to someone in Port Harcourt and the person was arrested.
The witness also told the court of another investigation against the defendants, in two separate hotels- Chelsea Suit and Penny Hotel,Festac, where they were alleged to have carried out similar acts.
[7][8][9][10][11][12] While delivering the judgement, the judge said the accused deserved the sentence as they were not remorseful of their action, and were telling the court lies after offering confessional statements to the police.
She said, having carefully analysed the evidence and testimonies before the court, the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Messrs. Nwabufor and Ezike murdered Ms. Osokogu.
[13] The Judge held that with its 10 witnesses and 17 exhibits, the prosecution's case against Nwabufo and Ezike was uncontroverted and that the circumstantial evidence brought by the state was “cogent, complete, unequivocal and compelling.” The judge held that the circumstantial evidence brought by the state in proof of the six counts of conspiracy, murder and stealing against the accused persons were cogent, complete, unequivocal and compelling.
[14] The court granted bail to Orji Osita and Ezike Nonso, while the other two who allegedly committed the offence of murder were remanded at the Kirikiri prison, Lagos.
Stricter regulations were proposed for the Federal Government to enforce and restrict the sale of the sedative drug Rohypnol over the counter without the doctor's prescription in Nigeria.