Toby TAIWO
The police in Rivers State have given a chilling account of how suspects allegedly hired a driver for a traditional marriage, killed and buried him in a forest, and bolted with his vehicle.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Rivers State Command, Agabe Karbolo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who said the incident was reported on May 22, named the victim as 55-year-old Christopher Emmanuel Akpabio, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State.
The police, in their preliminary investigation, revealed that the deceased was hired at Garrison Park, Port Harcourt, by the suspects.
The suspects were said to have hired the victim to transport them to the Asarama Community in Andoni Local Government Area for a traditional marriage ceremony.
But unknown to him, they had a sinister mission to murder him and dispossess him of his vehicle, a black Daihatsu Hijet minibus with registration number BGM 328 DA.
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The police spokesperson said the investigation later led to the shocking discovery of the victim’s remains in a shallow grave at Asarama community, Andoni Local Government Area, Rivers State.
She named the arrested male suspects involved in the murder case as 30-year-old David Mark and 45-year-old Nkajit Williams, both from Andoni Local Government Area, as well as 33-year-old Godgift John from Okrika Local Government Area.
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She said: “Acting on the operational directives of the Commissioner of Police, operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Diobu, immediately launched a painstaking intelligence-driven investigation which culminated in the arrest of the three suspects on 28th May, 2026.
“During the operation, the stolen black Daihatsu Hijet minibus with registration number BGM 328 DA was successfully recovered while the remains of the deceased have been deposited at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) mortuary for preservation and further examination.”
Karbolo said the operation was in line with the proactive crime-fighting strategies of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olugbenga A. Adepoju, aimed at combating violent crimes and strengthening public safety across the state.
She said: “Investigation is still ongoing, and concerted efforts have been intensified to apprehend the fourth suspect who is currently at large.
