Police detain four cops, begins investigation into alleged kidnapping of Rivers hotel worker

Rivers State Police Command has detained about four of its personnel for allegedly kidnapping worker in a Port Harcourt hotel and demanding N1 million as ransom from family.This was as the command has paraded 12 suspected armed robbers, kidnappers and cultists for their involvement in different criminal activities at different parts of the state.It was gathered that on Sunday some policemen on patrol had intercepted one Darlington Bieh, who hails from Taabaa in Khana Local Government Area of the state, around Choba in Obio/Akpor LGA and taken him to an unknown destination and demanded the said amount of money.It was learned that the policemen had apprehended their victim around 8pm Saturday on his way to work and searched his bags, pockets including his phone, but did not see anything incriminating.A source who hinted newsmen of the development said the police while scrolling through their victim’s phone, had seen pictures and found out that the young man works in a big hotel around the area.The source said the police men had told the victim to call his family to send N1 million for his bail out, threatening to kill and throw his corpse into Choba river if family fails.The source also claimed that the policemen took their victim to Aluu in Ikwerre LGA, while awaiting the payment from his family.However, the victim had instead of calling his father had called his boss, the owner of the hotel where he (victim) works and that his boss in turn called a DPO in the area who pretended to be the victim’s father to discuss with the criminal officers.The source further revealed that the criminal minded officers negotiated the amount of money with the DPO through the boy's phone, believing he was the young man’s father.But at about 1:00am Sunday, the DPO who pretended to be the young man’s father took his men and met them at Rogue cops at an agreed area in Aluu, disarmed them and arrested all of them.The Commissioner of Police in the state, Disu Olatunji, in his maiden press briefing in Port Harcourt on the achievement of Police within last month said some officers have been arrested on the said allegation, but that no officer complaint has been raised against them.He said: “I have read something like that on the social media over the weekend, I have not gotten any official complaint about it. Despite that, I went to town with my officers and I want to tell you that officers who had contact with that victim have been arrested.“They have been arrested. So, I am waiting for complaint from the victim, so that I will know what and what to look out for. The officers are there in the custody, we are not hiding anything. When the complaint comes, we will give you details of what we have done.“If I don’t get complaint from members of the public on this, I will believe everything is okay. All of us are in this together.”Speaking on the arrest of the 12 criminals, Olatunji, noted that two cult leaders from Kereken Community in Khana LGA were arrested after they kidnapped the Community Development Committee Chairman of the Community, collected N200,000 ransom and still buried their victim alive.He said: “On the day of resumption, I had before me a security deficit in many areas of Rivers State. One of those areas was Khana Local Government, and we immediately deployed tactical units to quell the situation. Gentlemen of the press, after concluding intense surveillance on 15th November, in separate crack operations, men of the Anti-Cultism Unit arrested Baridapdo Igia, 33yrs and Elvis Gordon, 26yrs two suspected Armed robbers and kidnappers in Kereken-Boue community of Khana Local Government Area.“After a series of interrogations, the duo confessed to being leaders of Iceland and Degbam cult groups in Khana Local Government Area, respectively and have been terrorising Khana Local Government Area for the past three years. “These cult groups have been known to have endless clashes in the community. During interrogations, they also admitted to kidnapping and burying alive one Praise Daakian, a former CDC Chairman in Khana Local Government Area. They murdered the victim after collecting the sum of NGN200,000 as part of payment for his ransom from the victim’s wife.”He noted that all the suspects would be charged to court for prosecution upon completion of investigation.Furthermore, they said to have also arrested 13 officers for indecent dressing;However, the Commissioner of Police in the State, Disu revealed that the command on Friday December 1st, arrested 13 officers over indecent dressing.The CP gave the assurance in a radio programme organized by the Force Public Relations department in Abuja which was monitored in Port Harcourt on Saturday December 2, 2023 by newsmen. Disu, who disclosed that the officers were arrested during patrol by a monitoring unit in various part of the Port Harcourt noted that the arrest is part of an ongoing effort to eradicate indecent dressing by officers of the command.He also revealed that the head of the Units or Divisions where the arrested Police officers are serving would be vicariously liable too, for the personnel action, noting that the arrested officers are in detention.Meantime, the Rivers State Police Command has not commented on the arrest of the policemen involved in the alleged kidnap of the worker in a hotel.