Police question man over Thames torso boy

POLICE investigating the voodoo-style killing of an African boy whose dismembered and mutilated body was found in the Thames are questioning a man in Dublin.

The Metropolitan Police said a 37-year-old Nigerian man, Sam Onogigovie, had been arrested by the Garda under an extradition warrant issued by German police over offences linked to human trafficking. Scotland Yard detectives hope to take DNA samples from him to compare to the DNA of the boy, who was aged between four and six, and whom police named Adam.

They believe the arrested man could be related to Adam or even be his natural father.

The man is also believed to be the estranged husband of a 31-year-old woman arrested in Glasgow last July in connection with the killing. The woman, who lived in the city, was later released on bail and deported to Nigeria. She is still helping police with their inquiries.

Although the victim is thought to have been murdered in London, forensic examinations found he lived in a rural area in south-west Nigeria. His torso, clad in orange shorts, was found floating in the Thames near Tower Bridge on 21 September, 2001.

By identifying traces of pollen in the boy’s lungs, police were able to establish that he had not been in London for long before his death.

Onogigovie is believed to have been in Dublin for at least several months and his home was searched yesterday by officers from Scotland Yard.

They said that his deportation to England depended on the outcome of the questioning in Ireland.

Detective Andy Baker described the arrest as highly significant, adding: "It is a breakthrough at this point in time. We intend to interview the suspect at the earliest opportunity following the search in conjunction with our Irish colleagues."

Last week, detectives said that DNA tests developed to identify 11 September victims could help trace Adam’s killer.

In March, Metropolitan Police officers travelled to Nigeria to chase up new vital leads after forensic evidence revealed the child came from a specific region there.

And last April, the former South African leader Nelson Mandela also made an impassioned worldwide appeal for anyone with information about Adam to come forward. But despite extensive inquiries, police have so far been unable to identify the boy.