The Police Command in Rivers has announced the arrest of some members of a criminal gang suspected to be murdering car-hire drivers and stealing their vehicles in the State.
This was disclosed by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement in Port Harcourt on Monday.
According to Iringe-Koko the gang had been linked to multiple cases of drivers that got missing.
She revealed that the arrest of one of the gang members, Anthony Chima, exposed the sinister activities of the gang in the State.
She said “The discovery of this criminal enterprise targeting Uber drivers in the State followed the disappearance of one Oghenevwarhe Barry Akpobome, an Uber driver.
“Upon investigating the disappearance, Police operatives arrested one Anthony Chima, a 35-year-old graduate of Political Science from the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.
“Under interrogation, Chima confessed to being recruited into a gang that specialized in luring taxi drivers into ambushes and stealing their vehicles.”
Iringe-Koko stated that Chima’s testimony showed the gang’s further gruesome actions of killing the drivers. They also harvest their body parts for ritualistic purposes.
“The suspect said that he was introduced into the gang by his friend, Amfoh Abu, the group’s arms dealer. He also linked another individual simply identified as ‘Reason.’
“Investigation further revealed that ‘General Effizy,’ the gang’s leader, is a prominent figure in the Greenland cult. He is also a seasoned kidnapper in the State,” she added.
According to Iringe-Koko, Chima confessed that he randomly obtains the Uber drivers’ phone numbers. And he pretends to be a passenger in need of a ride to lure his victims.
The police spokesperson stated that on Jan. 10, Chima contacted Akpobome and directed the driver to pick him up at Reason’s residence.
“Disguised as a passenger, Chima lured the unsuspecting Uber driver to a remote area in Aminigboko. There, he met Reason and General Effizy along with four-armed gang members.
“The driver was forcefully removed from the vehicle and taken to Effizy’s shrine, where he was tied up, gagged and gruesomely murdered.
“Chima later led the police to the shrine and Effizy’s residence. There, the personnel recovered the victim’s skull and a locally fabricated Beretta pistol,” she said.
Iringe-Koko added that a manhunt had been launched to capture the fleeing gang members. She, however, stated that Chima would face legal actions.
According to her, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers, Tunji Disu, has advised Uber drivers to be cautious while picking up or transporting passengers. He said this is important, particularly when going to remote or potentially dangerous areas.
“The Akpobome incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that lurk in the shadows. This, therefore, calls for the importance of vigilance and cooperation with the law enforcement agencies.”
source: Daily Post
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