Relatives and loved ones call for accountability in the wake of a young college graduate's homicide in Kogi.

Aminu Lawal, a recent university graduate, was brutally murdered in Lokoja two weeks ago, prompting his family, friends, and neighbors to demand justice, fearing that an arrested suspect may be released due to alleged external pressures on law enforcement agencies.

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Lawal, a University of Maiduguri graduate awaiting National Youth Service Corps call-up, was reported missing on Wednesday, 18th March, after he failed to return home from a trip to load his luggage into a tricycle, known as Keke NAPEP, in Otokiti Estate, Lokoja.

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His worried parents immediately launched a search for him, and their worst fears were confirmed the following day, Thursday, when his charred remains were discovered in an isolated bush path opposite the Central Bank in Zone 8, Lokoja, with his head smashed with a heavy object and a vein severed on the left side of his neck.

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The tricycle he was last seen with was not found at the scene, and the gruesome discovery sent the family and neighborhood into mourning, with his body being promptly recovered and buried according to Islamic rites.

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An independent community-led investigation later implicated Garuba, an acquaintance of the deceased and a resident of Otokiti Estate, who was described as one of the last people to call Lawal before his murder.

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Garuba was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp on Wednesday, 25th March, and was detained before the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID.

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According to an anonymous source, there are efforts to secure Garuba's release, prompting the community to appeal for a thorough investigation, saying that Lawal had worked hard to complete his studies in Maiduguri despite security challenges, only to be murdered at home.

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The community is demanding a proper and timely probe to bring anyone involved in Lawal's murder to justice, with the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Hafzatt Oyiza Salihu, assuring that the case is being investigated.

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ASP Salihu promised that the outcome of the investigation would be made public, stating that the police are still probing the case and the missing tricycle, and will provide details as soon as they are available.