Police operatives in Rivers State have arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a young woman, a case that has shocked communities in Emohua and Obio/Akpor local government areas. The suspect, identified as Goodnews Iberi, is a native of the Rumuakunde community in Emohua LGA.
The victim, Rita Special Eleonu, aged 25, was from the Rumuekini community in Obio/Akpor LGA. Following the arrest, police operatives recovered her decomposing remains from a forest in Emohua, where she had been buried. The remains were deposited at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.
According to the Rivers State Police Command, the arrest followed a distress report filed on December 29, 2025, by the victim’s brother. Police investigations revealed that Rita was lured on December 13, 2025, to the Rumuakunde axis of Emohua by the suspect and four accomplices who are currently at large.
Police said Rita was abducted and taken to a forest along the East-West Road in Emohua, where the suspects demanded and received a ransom of ₦210,000 from her family. Despite the payment, investigators said the suspects later murdered her and buried her body in a shallow grave.
The spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that operatives attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit in Emohua acted on credible intelligence to track down the suspect. Iberi was arrested on January 8, 2026, at about 6:30 a.m. at his hideout.
During preliminary interrogation, police said the suspect voluntarily confessed to the crime and provided details of his role. He also identified four other members of the syndicate and led officers to the location where the victim’s remains were buried.
The suspect remains in police custody as investigators intensify efforts to arrest the other accomplices. Police authorities say the investigation is ongoing, assuring the public that all those involved will be brought to justice.
