Nigerian in court to face extradition bid
A Nigerian man questioned by police over the suspected ritual sacrifice of a young boy in London was appearing in court in Dublin today.
Sam Onojhighovie, 37, was appearing at the High Court as part of a bid to extradite him to Germany where he has already been convicted in his absence and sentenced to seven years for offences linked to human trafficking.
Onojhighovie was arrested by gardaí yesterday on the extradition warrant but was also questioned by Detective Inspector Will O’Reilly of Scotland Yard over the discovery of a torso in the River Thames in London in September 2001.
The torso belonged to a Nigerian boy aged between four and seven who has been given the name Adam by police.
They have requested Onojhighovie’s DNA to test against Adam, believing he could be the boy’s natural father.
He is the estranged husband of Joyce Osagiede, who was arrested in connection with the murder a year ago in Glasgow.
She was not charged and was later returned to Nigeria.
Gardaí searched Onojhighovie’s local authority home, which he shared with others, yesterday and removed computers and documents which will be analysed by Scotland Yard.
Onojhighovie was convicted in his absence in Germany in March 2001 of forgery, claiming residence and trafficking-linked crimes.
He is believed to have been in Dublin for at least several months.
Officers have also visited other addresses linked to him in Germany.
They have been trying to trace him since July last year, following the arrest in Glasgow, but he had been living under a false name.
Adam was wearing a pair of orange girl’s shorts which could only be bought at Woolworth stores in Germany.
Detectives have used groundbreaking forensic techniques to establish that Adam was from south west Nigeria, between Benin city and Ibadan.
The inquiry, codenamed Operation Swalcliff, has seen detectives hunting for Adam’s true identity and his killers in several countries and an appeal for help by Nelson Mandela.
