FIVE CULTISTS ARRESTED IN RIVERS STATE FOR KILLING VICTIM AND DEMANDING RANSOM
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The Rivers State Police Command has arrested five suspected cultists for allegedly beating 34-year-old Rowland Horsfall to death after accusing him of forging a payment alert for hard drugs he bought from them in the Trans-Amadi area of Port Harcourt.
The police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, shared the details in a statement on Tuesday.
Iringe-Koko explained that following Horsfall’s abduction and death, the suspects, members of the notorious Iceland cult, still demanded a ransom from the victim’s grieving mother, unaware that her son was already dead.
She further revealed that the suspects later asked for N2.5 million to release Horsfall, and when the mother insisted on speaking to her son, she became suspicious and contacted the police. Law enforcement quickly intervened after her alert.
The statement partly reads, “On the 1st of November 2024 at about 1410hrs, the Rivers State Police Command received a distressing report from one Gloria Iyenemi George of Peace Valley Estate, Woji, Port-Harcourt, suggesting that on the 10th of September, 2024 at about 1530hrs, her son named Rowland Speech Horsefall, aged 34, 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 September 11, 2024, when the son called again and informed her that he was being held hostage and his phone seized and demanded that he should 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 N2.5m from her as instructed by his abductors, but she sent him N300,000.
“The supposedly abductors sent to the victim’s girlfriend, pictures and voice notes threatening to kill him if they did not receive the N300,000 in a reasonable time and eventually, she sent the sum 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, in his hideout at Woji town.”
The statement continued, “Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed that on the 11th of September, 2024 and 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 and the victim’s family 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, (aged 23); Boma Otonye a.k.a. Excess Chief, (41); David Link Ishaku a.k.a Biggy (34); Moses Nsikak Benjamin a.k.a. Aboy (29) and Emmanuel Aniete (32) and all the suspects confessed to the crime.
Iringe-Koko confirmed that the remains of the deceased have been recovered and transferred to a morgue. She also stated that the police have intensified efforts to track down other suspects who are still on the run, ensuring they are brought to justice.
The Superintendent of Police urged young people to be cautious about the company they associate with and the places they frequent to avoid becoming victims of criminal elements who are actively targeting individuals.
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