By Deborah Nnamdi
Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested five suspected kidnappers for allegedly kidnapping and killing their victim after receiving N300,000 ransom.
The suspects had, sometime in September 2024, abducted 34-year-old Rowland Horsefall and subsequently killed him.The spokesperson for Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, disclosed that the suspects, after picking their victim, had reached the family and demanded ransom.
According to Iringe-Koko, regretted the suspects had collected ransom from the family of their victim, adding that the development was reported to the police by the mother of the victim, Gloria George.
She said: “On the 1st of November 2024 at about 1410hrs the Rivers State Police Command received a distressing report from one Gloria Iyenemi George ‘f’ of Peace Valley Estate Woji Port-Harcourt suggesting that on the 10th. In September 2024, at about 1530hrs, her son Rowland Speech Horsefall ‘m’, aged 34 years, left home to attend meetings in Dr. Peter Odili Road and GRA Port Harcourt, respectively.
“She further informed the Police that at about 2100hrs, she called the son to know his location and he informed her that he was heading back home. Shortly after that, all subsequent attempts made to reach him were unsuccessful until about 0505hrs of the 11th. September 2024 was when the son called again and informed her that he was being held hostage and his phone seized. She demanded that he pay a ransom of N300,000 before he could have his phone back.
“After a while, the son called again and demanded the sum of N2,500,000, from her as instructed by his abductors, but she sent him
The supposed abductors sent to the victim’s girlfriend, pictures and voice notes threatening to kill him if they did not receive the Three Hundred Thousand Naira in a reasonable time, and eventually, she sent the N300,000 into the victim’s bank account to secure his release, yet the victim remained in captivity.”
“Upon receipt of this complaint, operatives of the Command swung into action at about 1300hrs of 3rd November 2024 and arrested the prime suspect one Endurance Friday Thompson ‘m’ in his hideout at Woji town.
“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed that on the 11th. In September 2024 at about 0300hrs, he met the victim behind the Port Harcourt Zoo, Trans-Amadi where he and his gang members held him captive and demanded ransom the victim’s family’s inability to pay the ransom made him and his gang beat the victim to death and dumped his remains along Queens/Kings Bakery, Abuloma road, Port Harcourt, but later the corpse was recovered by the Police and deposited at the Mortuary.
“Suspects arrested in connection with the crime include: Endurance Friday Thompson ‘m’ aged 23yrs, Boma Otonye a.k.a. Excess Chief ‘m’, aged 41yrs, David Link Ishaku a.k.a Biggy ‘m’ aged 34yrs, Moses Nsikak Benjamin a.k.a. Aboy ‘m’ aged 29yrs and Emmanuel Aniete ‘m’ aged 32yrs and all the suspects confessed to the crime,” Iringe-Koko added.
