Rita Waeni Murder: Loophole Exposed In Tweep's Claim Man With Nigerian Suspects Was On CCTV

A user on X named Haaland Sholla became an overnight sensation after alleging that a man who was captured with one of the Nigerian suspects arrested on suspicion of being involved in the murder of 20-year-old Rita Waeni was the same individual caught on CCTV entering a mini-supermarket before the murder took place.

Sholla had claimed that he managed to establish the full facial identity of the man pictured on the CCTV footage who was said to be of light complexion, with photos he posted on X showing the two Nigerian suspects captured with a friend who had a similar skin tone to the one on the CCTV footage.

"Guys; I think I have managed to ID the full face of the Nigerian white man that was captured on CCTV. In this pic, the black guy is J.B. who was presented to court with W.O. as the murderers of Rita Waeni.

"By morning we should have a name. NB - this pic was taken around 2020 allegedly in Kenya," Sholla wrote in the post that was viewed more than 560,000 times by the time of publishing.

Sholla further shared another photo of the light-skinned man captured with the suspect as they enjoyed drinks at a residence, claiming that "The brown-standing guy is said to have been a very close friend of J.B. It's also said J.B. and W.O. stayed in different houses."

When Sholla's tweet was forwarded to Viral Tea's newsdesk, we raised questions, the most important being how the tweep managed to claim he matched the light-skinned man's identity with the one captured on CCTV before Waeni's murder, before detectives investigating the case could officially ascertain his identity.

Viral Tea sought the help of a crime reporter who differed with Sholla's sentiments, indicating that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)'s Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) had traced the number that was used to book the short-stay where Waeni was murdered.

"And you can see that this W.O. is one of those in custody. If they know nothing, how were they using that SIM card?" he posed. 

Nonetheless, Kenyans online urged the DCI to investigate the photos further, and attention could also possibly shift to the tweep who shared the photos, meaning the user could also be treated as a person of interest in the ongoing case.

Lavish Lifestyle Of Nigerian Suspect

Meanwhile, details emerged regarding W.O.'s opulent lifestyle while living in Kenya, with the same photos showcasing him tending to party alongside friends, dressing in designer clothes as well as indulging in expensive alcohol.

They also showed women's purses within the suspect's residence, suggesting that he had a knack for socializing with ladies looking for a good time and engaging in festivities.

Spot checks on his social media platforms by Viral Tea indicated that the suspect was alleged to run a company specialised in stem cell therapy technology products.

"We offer a great mentoring program for our members with top executives. We are on the cutting-edge technology. You will be working with the best equipment of software in your web system," read part of the advertisement posted on the suspect's platform.

In various posts, he advertised jobs in the company, seeking a business analyst to either work full-time or part-time, with a monthly salary ranging from Ksh37,000 to Ksh51,000.

The offer also included competitive packages and generous bonus programs.

What We Know So Far

The two Nigerian suspects were arraigned at the Makadara Law Courts on Monday, January 22 after DCI investigations revealed that the duo were living in Kenya illegally, with one having an expired passport and the other not having any travel documents at the time of his arrest, telling detectives that he lost his passport two years ago.

The Nigerian suspects were traced by the DCI’s CRIB detectives to an apartment in Ndenderu in Kiambu County where they were picked up on Sunday.

During the raid, a hatchet, butcher’s knife, a national identity card belonging to a Kenyan, six mobile phones, three laptops, 10 SIM cards from different telecom services providers and other items were recovered at the house where the two suspects were residing before their arrest.