CYNTHIA OSOKOGU GOES HOME

Burial Arrangements for Late Cynthia- Valerie Udoka Osokogu

Wednesday, 4th September, 2012
5pm: Service of Songs at St. Murumba’s Catholic Church, Zaria Road, Jos
Friday 7th September, 2012
Requiem Mass and Final Internment at Owa Ekei Road, near Legend Hotel, Boji – Boji Owa, Ika North- East LGA, Agbor. Delta State.

Cynthia Osokogu, the only daughter of a retired army general, was allegedly murdered by two students with whom she struck up a friendship on the popular social media website, facebook.
Miss. Osokogu was a 24-year-old post-graduate student of Nasarawa State University and the only daughter of Major General Frank Osokogu (rtd).
She met one Nwabuzor Okwuoma, 33, who claimed to be a student of University of Lagos (UNILAG) through facebook and gradually a friendship ensued, albeit in cyberspace since both of them were hundreds of miles apart.

With time, Nwabuzo, who hails from Anambra State, invited Miss. Osokogu to Lagos on a business trip and reportedly paid for her flight ticket from Abuja to Lagos.
But according to the police, Nwabuzo took to facebook with criminal intent. Alongside his cousin, Ezekiel Odera, 23, an undergraduate of Anambra State University, Nwabuzo allegedly booked a room in Casmillo Hotel, Festac, Lagos for Miss. Osokogu, where the arrested duo prepared a chain, a cello tape, padlock and other bondage items to use on their unsuspecting victim. The alleged plot, according to the police, was to hold Miss. Osokogu hostage in that hotel room in order to rape and rob her of her belongings.
On July 22, Cynthia landed in Lagos longing to meet her facebook friend, Nwabuzo, in person for the first time, totally oblivious of the tragic fate that awaited her. Nwabuzo allegedly picked her up at the airport and drove the victim to the hotel where three packets of Ribena juice allegedly laced with Rohypnol have been placed in the booked room's refrigerator . Rohypnol, a sedative drug used in the short-term treatment of insomnia and for pre-medication purposes in surgical procedures, is also known as "the date rape drug."
For some inexplicable reasons, Miss. Osokogu only took a little sip from one of the drugged Ribena packs, which failed to knock her out as allegedly envisaged by Nwabuzo and Odera. However, this little setback did not in any way stop the duo from allegedly going ahead with their plans.

Nwabuzo and Odera allegedly pounced on the still conscious Miss. Osokogu, who, realising the trap she had walked into, reportedly resisted her assailants even in her state of half stupor. Taken aback by this, Nwabuzo and Odera allegedly snuffed life out of their victim by strangling her. The two undergraduates allegedly stripped Miss. Osokogu of her valuables and reportedly fled the scene.
When paraded before the Lagos media on Wednesday, August 22, Nwabuzo said he met Miss. Osokogu months ago through a cyber-group on Blackberry messenger and developed a relationship with her.
He said: "The lady was my friend and she came to Lagos on an invitation on 22nd of July after I paid for her flight. I took her to the hotel. I gave her a pack of Ribena juice, which had been injected with a drug I use on women that makes them dizzy and weak. I have used the drugs on four girls but it did not kill them. We wanted to make money from her but we did not find any money with her. I did not want her to see me escaping from the hotel, which made me to tie her and unfortunately she died."
Nwabuzo also confessed to staying in the hotel room with Miss. Osokogu for 12 hours but denied raping her. The police allegedly found packs of condoms in the hotel room.

The murder suspect said: "I stayed in the room with her for about 12 hours. We talked; I used a vibrator (sex toy) on her. I noticed that she did not drink all the juice and so the drug was not as effective as expected. I had no choice than to engage her in a struggle. I had to tie her so that she would not be able to follow me after robbing her".
The police allegedly found different items in the possession of the two suspects, including a brown bag, a suede black shoe, two sunshades believed to be Miss. Osokogu's property, two syringes, eight wristwatches, four different banks, one chain and padlock, one international passport, complimentary cards, over ten used and unused SIM cards as well as bags and various identification cards with different names.

Nwabuzo, Odera and two pharmacists who allegedly sold the Rohypnol to them, Orji Osita (32) and Maduakor Chukwunonso (25) were on Monday August 27 arraigned in court over the alleged murder of Miss. Osokogu.