Jonathan Nwokpor
Some members of a criminal gang accused of killing car-hire drivers and stealing their vehicles have been detained by the Rivers Police Command.
In a statement released on Monday in Port Harcourt, the command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, connected the organisation to other drivers who disappeared.
She disclosed that the group’s evil actions in the state were made public by the arrest of Anthony Chima, a single gang member.
She stated: “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 specialised in luring taxi drivers into ambushes and stealing their vehicles.”
Chima’s evidence, according to Iringe-Koko, demonstrated the gang’s additional heinous deeds of killing the drivers and obtaining their body parts for ceremonial uses.
“The suspect said that he was introduced into the gang by his friend, Amfoh Abu, the group’s arms dealer, and another individual simply identified as ‘Reason.’
“Investigation further revealed that ‘General Effizy,’ the gang’s leader, is a prominent figure in the Greenland cult and a seasoned kidnapper in the state,” she added.
According to a police spokesperson, Chima said that he takes the phone numbers of Uber drivers at random and poses as a traveller in need of transportation.
She claimed that on January 10, Chima contacted Akpobome and instructed the driver to pick him up at Reason’s house.
“Disguised as a passenger, Chima lured the unsuspecting Uber driver to a remote area in Aminigboko, where 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, where personnel recovered the victim’s skull and a locally fabricated Beretta pistol,” she said.
Iringe-Koko threatened to take legal action against Chima and said that a manhunt had been started to apprehend the gang members who were on the run.
She stated that Rivers Commissioner of Police Tunji Disu had cautioned Uber drivers to be cautious while picking up or transporting customers, especially to isolated or potentially dangerous regions.
“The Akpobome incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that lurk in the shadows, and the importance of vigilance and cooperation with the law enforcement agencies,” the police image maker said.
Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it.
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.
