A 27-year-old security guard, David Moses, has confessed to killing a school nurse and a 14-month-old toddler after collecting a ₦3 million ransom from their families in the Dawaki area of Abuja.
Moses, who was employed to guard Clear Hope Foundation Academy, made the chilling confession on Friday while being paraded at the Federal Capital Territory Police Command in Abuja.
According to him, the heinous crime was planned with a fugitive accomplice, Sunday Irimiya, who is currently on the run. The pair initially demanded ₦250 million ransom but settled for ₦3 million — even after the victims had been killed.
Speaking to journalists, Moses said he lured 55-year-old school nurse, Mrs. Chinyere Anaene, into a trap under the pretense of needing her help with something in the toilet.
“I called her from her class and told her to check something near the front toilet. Sunday was already hiding there. As she approached, he came out, threw a rope around her neck, and strangled her,” he recounted.
According to Moses, Anaene struggled before succumbing to the assault.
He said Irimiya then ordered him to go back and fetch the baby — identified as Nanenter Asher Yese, aged one year and two months — to kill her too.
“I told him killing the woman was enough, but he insisted. He said if we didn’t kill the baby, we wouldn’t get enough money. I went and brought the baby,” Moses confessed with apparent remorse.
The suspect, who claimed he had never committed any crime before, said the crime spiraled out of control after a fight broke out between him and Sunday over the ransom.
“After we collected the money, Sunday stabbed me and ran away with it. I dragged myself to a nearby house and begged them to call the police,” he said, adding that he later confessed everything at the hospital where he was treated.
Ironically, Moses said the nurse had been kind to him. “That same morning, she gave me ₦300 to buy food. She had always been nice to me,” he stated.
Investigations revealed that Moses was deployed to the school by a private security firm whose operations have come under scrutiny.
Zachariah Fiyinfoluwa, a representative of the company, admitted the firm failed to properly document Moses’ employment, including failing to record his guarantor’s details.
“For us not to keep proper records, I accept it’s our fault,” Fiyinfoluwa said when questioned by police.
The company also failed to ensure regular supervisory visits to the school premises.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ajao Adewale, disclosed that the nurse and the baby were reported missing on July 23, 2025. That same day, the husband of the nurse received a call from her phone demanding ₦250 million for their release.
“Despite killing the victims, the suspects still demanded ransom and deceived the family into thinking they were alive,” the CP said.
He added that Moses was arrested following a tip-off and has since confessed. Police are intensifying efforts to apprehend his fleeing accomplice.
In a further development, the police have arrested the school principal, two other security guards on duty during the incident, and the chief security officer of the firm that posted Moses to the school.
The tragic incident has triggered outrage among Abuja residents and education stakeholders, many of whom have called for stringent regulation of private security companies and background checks for school staff.
A rights advocacy group, SafeSchool Nigeria, described the incident as “a catastrophic failure of security architecture in basic education institutions,” and urged the FCT authorities to audit all schools and their personnel.
Meanwhile, the bodies of the victims have been recovered and deposited at a hospital morgue, while investigations continue.
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