Police in Rivers State say they have rescued a 24-year-old woman, Chinyere, and arrested five suspects following an investigation into her abduction along the Igwirita–Etche Road.
The command alleged that the suspects used online dating platforms to lure people from Port Harcourt and other locations before kidnapping them.
Police spokesperson ASP Agabe Blessing Kaborlo outlined the investigation in a statement on Tuesday, 27 October, according to Peoples Gazette’s report of the command’s account.
Chinyere had travelled from Delta State to Port Harcourt on 3 October to visit a friend when the abduction occurred, police said. The command received a complaint the following morning, 4 October, at approximately 9am.
Commissioner of Police Olugbenga Adepoju subsequently directed the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) in Diobu to investigate the complaint and apprehend those responsible.
Kaborlo said officers arrested one of the suspects, Gift Okeregwu, at a hideout along the Omuoda Pipeline in Allu, Port Harcourt. The published account also identified four other people arrested in connection with the investigation.
Police named Gift Okeregwu, 23, and Okeregwu Onyekachi, 27, as natives of Okehi Community in Etche Local Government Area.
The other suspects are Bright Augustine, 27, and Chijoke Nwalozie, 35, both from Akukabu Community in Etche, alongside Obinachi Rita, 26, whom the command identified as a native of Rivers State.
The command claimed that the suspects admitted involvement in Chinyere’s kidnapping during questioning. Kaborlo said they also supplied information concerning other abductions around Igwirita and Etche.
According to the police, those accounts described the use of online dating sites to attract victims living both within and outside Port Harcourt. The command presented the alleged method as part of its findings from the investigation.
Galaxy Television’s report of the statement said police did not provide details of the operation that secured Chinyere’s release or state whether anyone demanded or paid a ransom.
The statement also conveyed Adepoju’s position on the command’s response to violent crime.
“The Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Police Command reiterates the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property and bringing perpetrators of kidnapping and other violent crimes to justice,” the statement said.
The command advised people to establish the identities of strangers they encounter through online dating platforms before agreeing to meet them in person. It also asked residents to promptly alert police to suspicious conduct.
The Port City News account of the announcement reported the same warning, with the command urging caution during interactions that begin online.