By Emmanuel Ogbodo
Tragedy struck in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as 34-year-old Horsefall Rowland was killed over a dispute involving a fake bank alert used to purchase cocaine.
Rowland had informed his mother, Gloria George, that he was attending a meeting at Peter Odili Road and the GRA on September 10, 2024.
Late that night, he reassured her he was on his way home but later called at 5 a.m. in distress, revealing he had been kidnapped.
The abductors demanded ransom payments, leading Gloria to transfer ₦30,000 initially, followed by ₦300,000 after further demands.
Despite the payments, Rowland was found dead along Queens/Kings Bakery Road in Abuloma, Port Harcourt.
Police investigations, launched on November 1, 2024, led to the arrest of five suspects: Endurance Thompson (23), Boma Otonye (41), David Ishaku (34), Moses Benjamin (29), and Emmanuel (32).
Thompson, the primary suspect, confessed that Rowland used fake bank alerts to buy cocaine and owed him ₦150,000.
“He admitted the alerts were fake after I confronted him,” Thompson revealed.
Rowland was beaten, injured, and later died while being transported to a friend’s house.
The Rivers State Police Command, through spokesperson SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the arrests and said Rowland’s body had been deposited in a morgue.
Investigations are ongoing to identify additional suspects.