Dominion Okoro, a 25-year-old housemaid, has confessed to the killing of Maria Igbinedion, the mother of Lucky Igbinedion, former governor of Edo state.

Okoro confessed to the crime when she was paraded at Edo police command headquarters in Benin, on Tuesday.

She was arrested in her hometown in Calabar, Cross River state where she escaped and was later moved to Benin for interrogation.

The late Igbinedion died on December 2 at the age of 85. There were speculations that she was strangled to death.

Okoro reportedly said she hit the deceased on her head with a stool while she was sleeping.

She said after the victim died, she stole the deceased’s N100,000, a wristwatch and other jewellery and waited until the wee hours of the morning before she ran away from the house.

“I killed mama to carry her money. She did not offend me. While she was sleeping on her bed, around 12:01 am on December 2, 2021, I used a stool to hit her in the head and she shouted for help, but only the gateman was around and he did not hear the shout. Mama later died,” she reportedly said.

“I waited till 4 am on December 2, 2021, before leaving the house with mama’s N100,000, wristwatch, and jewellery. I escaped to Cross River State, but I was later arrested by the police.”

Speaking on the incident, Phillip Ogbadu, Edo commissioner of police, said it took some time before the force could arrest the suspect.

Ogbadu said about 20 persons were arrested before the suspect was caught and that she confessed to committing the crime.

He said all the suspects involved in the murder would be charged to court.

This story is culled from TheCable, published in partnership with Report for the World, a global service program that supports local public interest journalism.