The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old man, identified as Goodnews Iberi, in connection with the abduction and killing of a 25-year-old woman, Rita Special Eleonu.
Iberi, who hails from Rumuakunde community in Emohua Local Government Area of the state, was arrested following investigations into the disappearance of Eleonu, a native of Rumuekini community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
Police operatives also recovered the victim’s decomposing body from a forest in Emohua and deposited it at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Monday.
She said the arrest followed a distress report filed on December 29, 2025, by the victim’s brother, after Eleonu was declared missing.
According to the police, investigations revealed that the suspect, alongside four accomplices who are still at large, allegedly lured the victim to the Rumuakunde axis of Emohua on December 13, 2025, where she was kidnapped.
The police further disclosed that Eleonu was later taken to a forest along the East-West Road in Emohua, where she was killed after the suspects collected a ransom of N210,000 from her family.
Iringe-Koko said operatives of the command attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit, Emohua annex, acting on intelligence, arrested Iberi on January 8, 2026, at about 6:30am at his hideout.
“During preliminary interrogation, the suspect voluntarily confessed to the crime and mentioned four other accomplices,” she said.
She added that the suspect led detectives to the forest where the victim’s body was recovered.
The police spokesperson said the suspect remains in custody while investigations continue, adding that efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the kidnapping syndicate.
