Police operatives in Kenya have arrested two Nigerians in connection with the gruesome murder and dismembering of a 20-year-old girl named Rita Waeni.
The deceased victim, a student of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), was found d£ad in an apartment in the Roysambu area of Nairobi on January 14, 2024, with her h£ad missing.
Her body parts were discovered inside a trash bag in the apartment by the caretaker. While a head suspected to be hers, was recovered from a dam in Kiambaa, in Kiambu county on Sunday, January 21.
The suspects, identified as William Ovie Opia and Johnbull Asbor, were living illegally in Kenya. Opia’s passport had expired, and Asbor claimed he lost his travel documents two years ago, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The pair, who were found hiding in an apartment in Ndenderu, Kiambu County (not far from where Waeni’s h£ad was later recovered), were arraigned before the Chief Magistrate, Makadara Law Courts on Monday, January 22.
Constable Benjamin Wangila of Kasarani DCI offices told the court that the suspects’ proximity to the body parts’ discovery further strengthened the case against them.
Police recovered a hatchet, a b¥tcher knife, and other items from the house where the suspects were arrested. They also recovered six mobile phones, three laptops, 10 SIM cards, among other items.
Wangila expressed concerns about the suspects being flight risks due to their lack of legal residency and fixed address, and senior Principal Magistrate Agnes Mwangi of Makadara Law Courts granted an eight-day detention order for the suspects at the Kasarani police station. They will remain in custody until January 31, 2024.
