The Rivers State Police Command has apprehended a 26-year-old man, Goodnews Iberi, in connection with the abduction and killing of a young woman, Rita Eleonu, in the state.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, made this known while briefing journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. She explained that Eleonu, aged 25, was abducted from her community in Rumuekini, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to the police spokesperson, the incident was officially reported on December 29, prompting the police to immediately commence investigations. Findings revealed that Iberi, working with four other accomplices who are currently on the run, allegedly deceived the victim and lured her to Rumuakundu community in Emohua Local Government Area, where she was kidnapped.
CSP Iringe-Koko stated that the suspects later took Eleonu to a camp hidden in a forest along the East-West Road in Emohua, where they held her captive. After making contact with her family and collecting a ransom of ₦210,000, the suspects allegedly killed her.
She noted that the case was subsequently transferred to the command’s Anti-Cultism Unit, which intensified investigations to uncover the circumstances surrounding the victim’s disappearance. Acting on credible intelligence, police operatives arrested Iberi at his hideout at about 6:30 a.m. on January 8.
During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed voluntarily to his involvement in the crime, giving a detailed account of his role and naming four other members of the kidnap gang who remain at large. He later led police officers to the forest where the decomposing remains of the victim were recovered. The remains were thereafter taken to the morgue for autopsy.
CSP Iringe-Koko confirmed that the suspect is still in police custody, while efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the remaining members of the syndicate.
In a separate incident, the Rivers State Police Command also confirmed the death of six members of a family in what is suspected to be carbon monoxide poisoning from generator fumes in Ogale community, Eleme Local Government Area.
The police spokesperson said the tragic discovery was made at about 3:00 p.m. on January 11, after a man identified as Godwin Ogosu reported that his elder brother, his wife, and their four children had not come out of their apartment after going to bed the previous night.
She explained that when repeated knocks on the door by co-tenants produced no response, the matter was reported to the police. Officers from the Eleme Police Division immediately proceeded to the scene and forced the door open.
“Inside the apartment, six lifeless bodies were found the father, mother, three male children, and one female child,” CSP Iringe-Koko said.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the deaths were likely caused by generator fumes, as the family’s generator was reportedly switched on and kept inside the parlour before they went to sleep.
The bodies have been deposited at a mortuary for autopsy, while photographs were taken to aid ongoing investigations.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, described the deaths as deeply tragic and issued a strong warning to residents against operating generators in enclosed spaces.
He advised that generators should always be placed outside and in well-ventilated areas, warning that keeping them in sitting rooms, garages, sheds, or other confined spaces could result in carbon monoxide poisoning and death.
“This dangerous practice has claimed many lives,” Adepoju cautioned, urging residents to prioritise their safety and that of their families at all times.
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