The Police Command in Rivers State has apprehended several members of a criminal gang suspected of murdering cab drivers and stealing their vehicles.
The command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, stated on Monday in Port-Harcourt that the gang is linked to multiple cases of missing drivers. The arrest of one member, Anthony Chima, revealed the the group’s sinister activities in the state
Police detained Anthony Chima, a 35-year-old Political Science graduate from Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, who confessed to being recruited into a gang that lured taxi drivers into ambushes to steal their vehicles.
Iringe-Koko disclosed that Chima’s confession further exposed the gang’s gruesome acts, such as murdering drivers and harvesting their body parts for rituals.
Investigations also identified ‘General Effizy,’ the gang’s leader, as a prominent figure in the Greenland cult and a seasoned kidnapper. Chima confessed to obtaining Uber drivers’ phone numbers and posing as a passenger.
Iringe-Koko’s words:
“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.
“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.”
The spokesperson said a manhunt is underway for the fleeing gang members and that Chima will face legal actions.
The Commissioner of Police in Rivers, Tunji Disu, has advised Uber drivers to be cautious when picking up passengers, especially in remote or potentially dangerous areas.