Rivers Police Smash Criminal Gangs
Officers and men of the Rivers State Police Command smash a notorious online date kidnap gang, arrest two suspected cultists over murder, recover victim’s body
By Chinedu Oguh,
Jude Nzennaya, Port Harcourt
What if someone you met online was not interested in a relationship, but was using the connection to lure you into the hands of kidnappers? That is the disturbing method the Rivers State Police Command says a suspected kidnapping syndicate used to find its victims.
Five suspects are now in police custody, and a 24-year-old woman identified as Chinyere has been rescued following her abduction along the Igwuruta-Etche Road in Rivers State.
The victim had travelled from Delta State to Port Harcourt to visit a friend. But what was supposed to be a visit ended in a frightening ordeal when she was kidnapped and taken to an unknown location.
According to the police, the incident was reported on October 4, 2026 at about 9 a.m. The woman had arrived in Port Harcourt the previous day, October 3, before she was abducted.
After reviewing the complaint, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, C.P. Olugbenga Adepoju, directed operatives to track down those responsible and secure the victim’s rescue.
Officers attached to the Violent Crime Response Unit in Diobu immediately began their investigation. Their operation eventually led to the arrest of five suspects believed to be connected to the abduction.
One of the suspects, 23-year-old Gift Okeregwom was arrested at a hideout along the Omuoda Pipeline in Aluu, Port Harcourt. He is a native of Okehi Community in Etche Local Government Area.
The other suspects were identified as 27-year-old Okeregwu Onyekachi, also from Okehi Community, 27-year-old Bright Augustine and 35-year-old Chijioke Nwalozie both from Akukabi Community in Etche Local Government Area and 26 year-old Obinnachi Rita.
However, investigators uncovered something more troubling during interrogation. The police said the suspects provided information linking them to other kidnapping incidents in Igwuruta and Etche areas.
More importantly, the suspects reportedly disclosed how they found some of their victims. According to the police, they used online dating platforms to establish contact with people within and outside Port Harcourt before luring them into situations where they would be abducted.
The police spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Blessing Agabe confirmed the arrests and the rescue in a statement released to newsmen in Port Harcourt.
Reacting to the development, Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting residents and bringing those responsible for kidnapping and other violent crimes to justice.
He also advised members of the public to be careful when interacting with strangers on online dating platforms. People were urged to verify the identities of those they meet online before agreeing to meet them in person and to report suspicious activities to the police without delay.
The major warning from this case is clear: a person may appear friendly online, but that alone does not establish that they can be trusted. Verify who you are meeting, choose public places for first meetings, tell someone you trust where you are going, and avoid travelling to unfamiliar locations with people you barely know.
In a related development, Rivers Police have arrested a man over alleged repeated sexual abuse of 12-year-old stepdaughter.
According to reports, the 12 year-old girl has repeatedly endure repeated sexual abuse at the hands of her step father, who threatened to kill her and her mother if she exposed what happened.
The Rivers State police command confirmed his arrest, adding that investigators had commenced a detailed probe into the case. The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Agabe Blessing Ikaborle disclosed that the police were treating the matter with the seriousness it deserved and would ensure that the suspect faced appropriate legal action in line with the law.
The arrest followed reports that the man was apprehended in Rumuekini community in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, after accusations that he sexually assaulted his stepdaughter on three different occasions.
Investigations into the incident reportedly began after details emerged about how the suspect took advantage of the girl’s mother’s absence from home to abuse her.
The victim reportedly told those who intervened that she was afraid to speak out because the man had threatened to kill both her and her mother if she revealed his actions.
Tentacle learnt that the abuse involved inappropriate touching before the suspect proceeded to sexually assault the child, while a video circulating on social media captured the suspect resisting arrest as residents and police officers struggled to tame him.
A community resident who spoke at the police station after the arrest, described the operation as a prolonged confrontation involving security operatives and residents. He said the suspect had eventually been brought into custody after a difficult struggle.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command also recorded a major breakthrough in its onslaught against violent crimes with the arrest of two suspected cultists linked to the gruesome murder of a motorcycle rider and the recovery of his remains in a forest in Ahoada West Local Government Area.
The incident occurred on October 22, 2026, at 1:00 pm, when operatives of the Command attached to the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Emohua, acting on credible intelligence, swooped on some suspected cult members sighted at Choba Motor Park dismantling a motorcycle suspected to have been stolen.
The operatives promptly arrested two suspects identified as Abubakar Sani, 24, and Yusuf Magaji, 20, both natives of Kano State.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects allegedly lured one Sani Musa, a motorcycle rider from Zago Town, Kafin Hausa Local Government Area of Jigawa State, to a forest in Mbiama Town, Ahoada West, where they reportedly stabbed him to death. They allegedly concealed his remains in the bush and made away with his motorcycle.
According to Police sources, the suspects confessed to the crime during interrogation and disclosed that they planned to transport the stolen motorcycle to Kano State through a waybill.
In a follow-up operation, the suspects led operatives to the forest where the remains of the deceased was recovered. The victim’s family was subsequently contacted and the body was released for burial in accordance with Islamic rites, as requested by the family.
CP Adepoju directed that the investigation be intensified to unravel all circumstances surrounding the incident, uncover possible accomplices and ensure that all those involved are brought to justice.
The Command restated its determination to rid Rivers State of cultism, kidnapping, murder and other violent crimes, while urging members of the public to remain vigilant and continue to provide timely and credible information to the Police.
