Five arrested over Abuja chef’s murder as friend blames ‘insider’

Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of Emeka Eloagu, an Abuja chef.

Eloagu, who is a creative director at Helenes Food Company in the federal capital territory (FCT), was found dead at his home last Sunday.

When TheCable Lifestyle contacted Mariam Yusuf, FCT police spokesperson, she said that an investigation was already in progress.

But, according to BBC Pidgin, inside sources revealed that five individuals had been arrested in the murder case.

The suspects, it was gathered, were taken to the homicide unit of the state criminal investigation department (SCID).

Ken Okechukwu, an individual who identified as Eloagu’s long-time friend, also claimed that it was impossible for the assailants to gain access to the deceased’s Abuja apartment without being cleared by security men.

“He just returned to Nigeria from Dubai two weeks ago. We spoke extensively and he told me about some of his plans. He was gruesomely murdered on Sunday evening at his house in Katampe extension,” Punch quoted him to have said.

“His wife had gone for a church programme. Two men visited his apartment. I want to believe he knew them.

“You can’t just gain access to his apartment if the security men did not clear you. The security men must have called to inform him of the men’s presence and a pass would have been given. They did what they came to do and left.

“By the time his wife returned, she saw him lying on the floor. He was first rushed to the hospital, where the medical personnel did all they could to bring him back to life, but he did not make it.

“The report that his killers came wearing masks is not true. There was no way they could have done that and gained entry into his apartment. Those guys knew him and he must have been expecting them.”

Eloagu is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Paris with a Grande Diplomé in cuisine and patisserie.

He creates a combination of French cooking methods with Nigerian cuisine and is known to have hosted prominent celebrities and politicians at his restaurant.