Police: Slain UTME candidate killed by schoolmates

The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested two suspects in connection with the abduction and killing of a 17-year-old candidate of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Thompson Adams, in the Ikorodu area of the state. The State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the […]

The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested two suspects in connection with the abduction and killing of a 17-year-old candidate of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Thompson Adams, in the Ikorodu area of the state.

The State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Ikeja.

Tijani said the suspects, identified as Elijah Emmanuel, 23, and Tony Ogenata, 21, were arrested on Monday at about 8:00 p.m. following credible intelligence.

According to him, preliminary investigations indicate that Adams was returning from his examination on April 22, 2026, when the incident occurred.

The police chief stated that the suspects, who were reportedly former schoolmates of the victim, allegedly lured him to their apartment, where he was killed.

“On April 27, 2026, at about 20:00 hours, operatives of the command, acting on credible intelligence, traced and arrested suspected kidnappers at Lucky Fibre, Ikorodu, Lagos,” Tijani said.

“The suspects are Elijah Emmanuel, 23, and Tony Ekwen Ogenata, 21. Investigation revealed that they are linked to the kidnapping and gruesome murder of Thompson Adams, aged 17, which occurred on April 22, 2026. The suspects went out with their friend, Adams, who was their secondary schoolmate, and later killed him.”

He added that the suspects allegedly concealed the victim’s body in a bag before disposing of it within the community.

Tijani further revealed that ongoing investigations have linked the suspects to an earlier case involving the abduction and killing of a female victim in November 2025.

“Investigation revealed that they had earlier kidnapped and murdered a female victim on November 30, 2025. The victim was a girlfriend of one of them. They contacted her parents and demanded ransom,” he said.

According to the commissioner, the victim’s family paid N300,000, but the suspects allegedly killed her after receiving the money.

“After collecting the N300,000, they still went ahead and murdered the lady,” he added.

The police commissioner said the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.