The Rivers State Police Command said its men had arrested three suspected serial rapists, including two ex-convicts who allegedly employed various means to lure their victims, rape them and steal their valuables in Port Harcourt and other parts of the state.

The police said the suspects use online chats to lure their victims to hotels and drug them before carrying out the wicked act.

The spokesperson for the command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Iringe-Koko said the arrest of one of the suspects, 32-year-old Louise Brutolu, after its operatives swung into action in the case of abduction reported to the command, saying the suspect was also involved in other crimes, while the gang leader was nabbed months afterwards.

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The statement reads, “Following a reported abduction case involving Agor Ogechi ‘F,’ a 28-year-old resident of Elele in Ikwerre LGA of the state, on July 1, 2023, the police swiftly intervened and have successfully apprehended the prime suspect involved in a series of heinous crimes.

“Investigations revealed that the suspect, identified as Louise Brutolu, ‘M,’ a 32-year-old resident of Igoni Street, Abuloma, employed the use of phone chats to lure his victims to the Pacific Suite Hotel, Abuloma. Upon booking a room, the suspect drugged the victims, rendering them unconscious, and subsequently stole their valuables.

“In the case of Agor Ogechi, her iPhone, a sum of N20, 000 and her ATM card were reported stolen.

“Acting on the victim’s complaint, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit promptly initiated an operation that culminated in the arrest of Louise Brutolu. During the arrest, the substance used to drug the victims was successfully retrieved. The suspect has claimed to work for an unidentified master and has pledged cooperation in capturing the gang leader.

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“After months of persistent investigation, the Rivers State Police Command successfully apprehended the gang leader, whose identity is being withheld for investigative purposes. As a result of this arrest, various items belonging to different victims were recovered, including 21 mobile phones, three female bags, and receipt booklets.”

The statement further noted that the gang leader had previously been arrested in 2021 for similar offences and was charged in court. The recurrence of such heinous crimes, it stated, underscored the importance of continued vigilance and proactive measures in tackling the menace of online criminal activities.

In a related development, the command said it arrested one Jenifer Timi, 28, who hails from Burutu in Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State.

The state police image maker said the suspect specialised in luring individuals through social media platforms such as Instagram, Tinder, and Badoo.

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She said, “Notably, the suspect targeted not only women but also Bolt and Uber drivers by exploiting their expensive phones displayed online. The suspect invited victims to hotel rooms where they were offered drinks laced with Tramadol, subsequently subjected to rape, and robbed of their belongings.

“Jemifor Timi Collins has been engaging in these criminal activities for over three years and has been arrested and charged to court on two previous occasions. The ongoing investigation aims to uncover further details and bring all responsible individuals to justice.”

Iringe-Koko said the command under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, urged members of the public, especially youths, to exercise caution when making friends online.

“It is crucial to prioritise personal safety by meeting new individuals in safe and public places. Additionally, individuals should inform their relatives and friends about their movements for added security.

“The police remain committed to providing protection and raising awareness about emerging crimes and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the safety of all residents.”

There was pandemonium on Monday morning at a secondary school in the Agip axis of Port Harcourt, when the family of a J.S.S.1 student simply identified as Favour, allegedly accosted a female teacher, Sonia Amadi on her way to work and whipped her for allegedly flogging their child inappropriately.

Also, they allegedly went into the school compound and locked up the Admin Officer identified as Joy Ajayi, inside her office and threatened to do the same to her.

It was gathered that it took the intervention of other parents to prevent the family who had physically assaulted the female teacher from beating up the Admin officer.

Speaking with newsmen, an Admin Officer of the school, ‘Silver Bird International School’ Agip, Mile 4, in Port Harcourt, Joy Ajayi said she was in her office on Monday morning when three boys matched in, locked the door and said they wanted to flog her.

She stated, “One of the boys carried the scissors we used in doing school work and threatened to stab me. He asked why should they flog his brother in this school.

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“All the teachers came out that there was no need for them to take this thing to that extent. But they refused to open the door. There was a parent inside here with me and we were resolving an issue.

“So the parent had to start begging them that they should calm down. They were here for more than 15 to 20 minutes. My teachers were outside trying to get inside but they could not.

“They were saying they would flog me and that we should go and call the Police or lawyer. I now said I have a right to defend myself. As I was talking, that was when their father came, and said they should open the door. They opened the door and their father now said he wanted to take his family and that he would come back later.”

She narrated how the group used a cane on one of the teachers, saying, “Before they came to my office and locked me up, a teacher was flogged, my English teacher Sonia Amadi when she was coming to school.

“They flogged her seriously. She is in the office and I have to ask her to calm down. The mother of the boy also slapped her as she was coming to school.

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“The same people who came to my office had already accosted my teacher and flogged her seriously. As she was entering the gate they followed her and matched straight to my office, “she added.

It was gathered that the management of the school has lodged a formal complaint at the Ada George Police Division where the teacher was issued a medical form to visit the clinic for treatment.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she was yet to receive a report on the incident but promised to find out and get back to our correspondent.

Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report on Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, a rights group, the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, has condemned the alleged assault on the female teacher and invasion of the school by the student’s family.

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The National Coordinator of the group, Price Wiro, in a statement, said the parents of the student should have reported to the Ministry of Education if they felt their child was treated inappropriately or the Police in case of physical assault rather than taking laws into their hands.

Wiro called on the Police to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident and anybody found culpable should be made to face the law.

He stated, “We condemn the invasion of the school by the student’s brothers and the locking up of an admin staff on account that she flogged their child in a manner that they considered inappropriate.

“I want to advise parents that if you feel that the way your child was treated in school is not right, there are channels for seeking redress. If there are physical signs of assault you can go to the police or the Ministry of Education to make a formal complaint.

“Resort to self-help by taking the laws into your hands is not the way to go. I therefore call on the Police to thoroughly investigate this matter anybody found culpable no matter how highly placed should face the law.”

PUNCH

No fewer than five women from Oteri community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State are currently in a critical state at the Central Hospital Ughelli as police attached to the Ughelli Area Command allegedly opened fire on them during a protest.

The protesters armed with leaves, accused the police from Ughelli Area of illegal arrest, molestation, and intimidation.

Speaking from her hospital bed, Miss Valentine Adomi, 24, a tailor, said, “I was on my way to the market to buy materials when I saw my family people at the front of the police station, and I alighted from the motorcycle to inquire from them why they were there.

“Immediately, I heard sounds of gunshots and tear gas, and I saw people running, and I was also running back. I felt something touch my leg that made me not be able to run.

“I heard people shouting that I had been shot on my right leg by the police. They rushed me to Central Hospital Ughelli after I lost much blood,” she stated.

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Also speaking, Mrs. Vivian Aphiare said, “The number of police road blocks from their division to Oteri is over five, and for that reason, no tricycle or Keke would want to come towards the community.

“As if that is not enough, they would come into the community to arrest our people illegally, and when you get to the station to make an inquiry, they will ask you to bail your wards between the sum of N150,000 to N200,000.

“We were actually protesting to the palace to meet and complain to our royal father about the activities of the police, but on getting to the front of the police station, the police shot tear gas toward us, and as if that was not enough, they opened gunshots on us without any iota of provocation.

“We want the police to leave the Oteri Road because we are tired of their excesses, intimidation, and illegal arrest and molestation of our children and husbands.”

On her part, Mama Harvest Ugbuwiako said, “We are protesting against the numerous roadblocks belonging to the police, the illegal arrest of our children, and the searching of their phones for no just cause.

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“The police use the PoS machine to check the accounts of our children to know how much they have in their various accounts.

“The police have roadblock at Emurotu Isodje, GRA, Back of Government College, and front of the Ughelli Police station respectively, and for that reason, no biker or Keke rider would be willing to come to Oteri.

“We don’t have armed robbers and kidnappers in our community, but the police are making life difficult for the people of Oteri-Ughelli as their multiple check points caused transportation to increase from N100 to N500.

“They opened tear gas on us, shot at us, and one of our daughters was shot on the leg, and she is currently on admission at Ughelli Central Hospital. Many others were physically injured.

“Police are meant to mount roadblocks at the end of a community and not at the center of a town. They took three mobile phones of our children, iPhone 13, iPhone 8 and iPhone 12—and beat our woman secretary with planks.

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“They planked other women with wood, and they are currently receiving treatment at different places. We do not want police on our roads again.” She insisted.

Lamenting the torture of the police on them, the President General of the Oteri-Ughelli community, Hon. Erakpofoke Peter, said, “What happened today was a peaceful protest by the women to tell the world that they no longer need police in Oteri because of their illegal extortion.

“Their activities in the Oteri community are extremely inhuman, and we want to beg the government that we are no longer interested in the police station; they should look for a new site to go and leave our land.

“Our women no longer go to the market and when the new DPO was posted here, I told him about our challenges, and he saw reasons with me and promised that he was going to do something about it.

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“The women came out to protest against what the police did in Oteri, they destroyed the young man’s properties, his television, and carted away so many things from the apartment.

“The activities of the police has gone so bad that as of 9:00 p.m., you will never see a bike or Keke coming to Oteri because of their extortion, brutalisation, molestation and illegal arrest and as a result, they could not go market again, and that is their grievances.”

Those currently on admission are, Valentine Adomi 24, Edith Itive 37, Akaeze Joy 22,

Loveth Brown-Tate, 42, with an injury to her right eye, Mrs. Lucky Philip, 48, with an injury to her right hand; and many others.

Contacted for reaction, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, did not respond to phone calls to his mobile phone as at press time.
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