Tragedy in Edo as police arrest 31-year-old man for murder of missing woman

The Edo State Police Command has arrested one Joshua Osaigbovo, 31, in connection with the death of 21-year-old Osato Festus Edogiaweria, who was declared missing in April 2025.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Joel Yamu, the case was initially reported on April 25, 2025, at Aduwawa Division by the victim’s mother, Mrs. Ojo. “She told police that her daughter, Osato, left home on April 20, 2025, in the company of a friend and had not been seen or heard from since then,” Yamu stated.

The matter was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) for deeper probing. Following weeks of detailed investigation, operatives of the Command’s Family Unit arrested the suspect on June 18, 2025, in Iyanomon community, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area.

CSP Yamu said, “Demonstrating the Command’s resolve to rid the state of all forms of crime and criminality, operatives employed technical intelligence and painstaking efforts which led to the arrest of the suspect.”

During interrogation, Osaigbovo confessed to inviting Osato to his residence on April 27, 2025. “He claimed that during her visit, they had an altercation which escalated into a physical fight,” Yamu revealed. “The suspect stated that the deceased fell and hit her head on the ground, resulting in her death.”

Rather than report the incident, the suspect admitted to trying to cover it up. “He further confessed that he took the dead body in a wheelbarrow to a nearby bush, dug a shallow grave, and buried her a few meters from his house,” Yamu disclosed.

On June 20, 2025, Osaigbovo led police officers to the location of the shallow grave. “Following due procedures, the decomposed body of the deceased was exhumed from the site in Iyanomon community,” the police spokesperson confirmed.

CSP Yamu assured the public that justice would be served. “The suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,” he said. “The Edo State Command remains committed to delivering justice and ensuring the safety of all residents.”