The Nigeria Police on Wednesday apprehended a fugitive who fled the United Kingdom in 2009 after allegedly murdering a teenage rapper.
Carl Beatson Asiedu on 1 August, 2009 in London died from stab wounds inflicted by Jeffery Azuka Okafor, now 23 year old, outside a nightclub where he had just played a gig.
He was said to have been found by officers in one of three cars stopped for ignoring a red light at 5.12am on Saturday in Baylis Road, Waterloo, south London.
The victim, a student at De Montfort University in Leicester, was being driven to hospital by friends when their car was stopped, according to reports.
But CCTV replay later fingered Okafor as the killer. But when police visited his home in Southwark he had disappeared from the UK.
In a statement, Emmanuel Ojukwu, spokesperson for the Nigeria Police said the suspect was arrested on 23 September, 2014 in Asaba, Delta State. The Police said the accused had tried to evade arrest by frequently changing his identity and locations, but operatives were still able to keep a tab on him without raising any suspicion.
Ojukwu said in the statement that the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba particularly praised the high level of Professionalism displayed by the Police operatives as well as the effective deployment of the Forces’ high tech-equipment in tracking the suspect. The Police Spokesperson also revealed that all the necessary required procedures to enable the handover of the fugitive to the UK Authorities have already been concluded.
“The IGP further assures the International law enforcement communities that the Nigeria Police Force will always ensure that all fugitives that show up in Nigeria would be apprehended upon request and turned over accordingly,” he added.