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Mother’s Heartbreak: Son Killed After Failed Ransom Payment in Port Harcourt

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Gloria George’s life was shattered on the night of September 10, 2024, when her 34-year-old son, Horsefall Rowland, failed to return home. Earlier that day, Rowland had told his mother he was heading to a meeting at Peter Odili Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but as the hours passed without word from him, Gloria’s anxiety grew.

By 10 pm that night, she had spoken to Rowland, who reassured her he was on his way home. However, when she tried to reach him again later, there was no response. Her worst fears were confirmed early the next morning when Rowland called her at 5 am, frantic with fear. He explained that he had been kidnapped.

As the family desperately scrambled to raise the ransom, they began receiving threatening voice notes and photos from the kidnappers, warning them that Rowland would be killed if the money was not paid. In a last-ditch effort, they sent N30,000, hoping it would save their son’s life. Tragically, it was too late. Rowland’s body was later discovered along Queens/Kings Bakery, Abuloma Road, in Port Harcourt.

In a devastating statement to the police on November 1, 2024, Gloria shared the harrowing details of her son’s captivity. She revealed that the kidnappers initially demanded N2.5 million, though they eventually settled for N300,000. The money was transferred into Rowland’s account, but after that, there was no further contact.

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“They sent two threatening voice notes and pictures to Rowland’s girlfriend, saying that if they didn’t receive the N300,000 within the shortest time, we should consider Roland dead,” Gloria said. Unfortunately, that was the last time the family heard from him.

After receiving the family’s complaint, the Rivers State Police Command swiftly launched an investigation, arresting five suspects involved in the crime: Endurance Thompson (23), Boma Otonye (41), David Ishaku (34), Moses Benjamin (29), and Emmanuel (32).

The prime suspect, Thompson, was arrested in his hideout in Woji, Rivers State. He confessed to the crime, revealing that Rowland had been beaten to death after attempting to pay for hard drugs with a fake bank transfer alert.

Thompson explained that Rowland had come to buy “Charlie” (a street name for cocaine) from him on September 11, 2024, around 3 am, behind the Port Harcourt Zoo, Trans Amadi. According to Thompson, Rowland had made a series of fake transfer attempts to pay for the drugs. “I received an alert, but the amount in my account remained unchanged. He owed me N150,000 and claimed to have transferred N8,000 first and N20,000. But the money never actually entered my account,” Thompson said.

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An argument broke out over the fake transfer, and Rowland was subsequently beaten. He later begged Thompson to take him to the hospital for treatment. Thompson called a friend, Justice, but by the time they arrived, Rowland had died inside the Keke Marwa that had rushed him to Justice’s place. Thompson informed Justice of the death, and together with another accomplice, Michael, they disposed of Rowland’s body, dumping it beside a bakery on Abuloma Road.

SP Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, confirmed that Rowland’s body had been deposited in the morgue for preservation. She also stated that the investigation is ongoing, with efforts to apprehend other individuals mentioned by the suspects, who were allegedly involved in the beating that led to Rowland’s tragic death.

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Outrage As Police Officer Vows to Kill Southerners Over Edo Killings

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Reactions have trailed the comment of a Kaduna State police officer, Hadaina Hussaini Dan-Taki over the killings in Uromi area of Edo State.

Dan-Taki has threatened reprisal attacks on southerners living in northern Nigeria.

His remarks followed the brutal killing of 16 northerners in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State.

Dan-Taki made the inflammatory comments in a Facebook post on Tuesday, vowing that northerners would retaliate.

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“I swear to Almighty God, we must do something for you guys. Have you forgotten all your brothers living here in the North? Mark my words, after one week, you shall see the result,” he reportedly wrote.

Following backlash, Dan-Taki changed his Facebook name and restricted access to his profile, limiting public visibility of his posts and comments.

Dan-Taki’s post was flagged by an X user identified as Uche, who shared a screenshot while tagging Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

Adejobi swiftly acknowledged the post, stating, “Noted for necessary action. Thanks.”

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Meanwhile, law enforcement continues to investigate the attack in Uromi. Fourteen suspects linked to the killing of hunters from Kano State have been arrested and transferred to Abuja for further interrogation. Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo confirmed the arrests and assured Nigerians that justice would be served.

The victims were reportedly traveling to Kano for Sallah celebrations when they were ambushed by a mob. Their vehicle was stopped and ransacked before they were killed, sparking nationwide outrage and calls for swift justice.

Governor Okpebholo condemned the attack as “tragic and condemnable,” emphasizing that law enforcement agencies are taking decisive steps.

“The president is deeply concerned, and the suspects arrested so far are being transferred to Abuja for further interrogation,” he stated.

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The killings have heightened tensions, prompting leaders across the country to call for calm and restraint. Officials from Kano and Edo States have been engaging in discussions to prevent further escalation.

The Chief of Defence Staff has also condemned the attack and vowed that justice will be served.

Authorities continue to investigate both the killings and Dan-Taki’s comments, with expectations that decisive action will be taken to prevent further unrest.

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Police uncover ‘yahoo’ training school in Lagos, arrest suspects

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The Lagos State Police Command has uncovered a building in the Iju area of Lagos State, used for internet fraud training.

Popularly called “Yahoo School’, the command said four Yahoo experts who had been running the school were arrested alongside six trainees who were undergoing training in cybercrime and fraud during the operation.

Nine of the suspects were between ages 20 and 26, while the tenth, a trainee, is 12 years old.
Consequently, the command has directed owner of the facility to turn himself in for investigation.

Preliminary investigations according to the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hudenyin, revealed that the principal suspects of the facility recruited their trainees from Anambra State and engaged them to commit internet fraud and other related crimes.
He said the proceeds from their fraudulent activities were confiscated by the principal suspects.

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Hudenyin said: “All suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID Yaba, for further discreet investigation and prosecution.

“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the sponsors who financed the trainees’ enrollment in the school as well as the owner of the facility where these criminal and illegal activities took place. The owner of the facility is hereby warned in his own interest to turn himself in immediately, at the SCID Panti from wherever he is hiding.The Lagos State Police Command will ensure that all suspects are charged to court for prosecution upon the conclusion of the investigation into the case”

He noted that ” In line with due process of the law, the underage suspect among them, Minachi Ugochukwu, 12 years old, with healing marks of injuries on his body allegedly inflicted on him by the main principal suspect to compel him into the commission of the criminal acts, is being given medical attention and kept in protective custody till his relatives are identified and reunited with him”

He therefore advised parents and guardians to monitor the activities of their children and wards , with a view to preventing them from being ” exploited, lured, or compelled into criminal activities”.

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Furthermore, Hudenyin called on members of the public who had fallen victim to the fraudulent activities of the syndicate to visit the SCID, Yaba, with their complaints.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, also commends the police personnel involved in this operation for their dedication and professionalism that resulted in this success.

“CP Jimoh assures all Lagosians that the Command remains resolute and committed to combating all forms of crimes and criminalities, including cybercrime tagged “yahoo”.He urges residents to report every suspicious activity or incident to the Police in their localities for prompt police action.

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Mortuary Attendants Arrested Over Dead Man’s Missing Genitals

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There was pandemonium resulting from a sad discovery by relations of a deceased young man in Abia state, that his testicles were missing in a mortuary his remains were kept.

The situation led to the destruction of the mortuary and near lynching of it’s workers in Umuezibe, Obingwa area, along the Aba/Ikot Ekpene highway, where it is located.

The deceased, whose name was simple given as Chimaobi, in his twenties, was allegedly electrocuted while fiddling with high tension electricity cables in Abayi Okorator, in the same area with his corpse kept in the mortuary, pending burial.

However, things got awry, when youths from his (the deceased) community went to retrieve his corpse only to discover that his genitals were missing from the body they were being shown by the attendants who thereafter, tried to escape but got apprehended.

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The situation got so tensed that relations of dead person’s whose bodies were deposited in the mortuary quickly came to remove them either for immediate burial or to other locations, as the youths insisted on destroying the facility.

Eyewitness account told our correspondent that a quick intervention of the police in Eastern Ngwa, saved the mortuary attendants who were said to have been taken into custody.

A senior police source in the area, said the situation was under control, though he didn’t speak further on the issue.

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