The Rivers State Police Command has apprehended four individuals, including a native doctor and a teenage girl, over their alleged involvement in the gruesome murder of two young siblings in the Ogbodo Pipeline area of Rukpokwu, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
The prime suspect, identified as 27-year-old Aniekan Uko, reportedly lured the children, drugged them, and subsequently murdered them in an uncompleted building. Authorities revealed that he drained their blood for ritual purposes.
Confirming the arrest, Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, described the incident as horrific, stating that officers from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit acted swiftly to apprehend the suspects on March 23, 2025.
A legal practitioner assisting in the investigation, Linda Ojims, disclosed that the victims, identified as seven-year-old Chizaram Onuche and Chidinma Onuche, were returning home from church when Uko intercepted them. Reports suggest that he may have hypnotized the children before taking them to the crime scene.
“He gave them a drugged drink that made them fall asleep before carrying out the heinous act,” Ojims revealed. “He also raped them before taking their lives.”
During interrogation, Uko reportedly confessed to engaging in ritual killings after being introduced to the practice by a native doctor. According to his statement, he had witnessed similar rites performed for others in exchange for wealth and was instructed to provide fresh human remains and blood for the ritual.
Investigators recovered crucial evidence at the crime scene, including a bottle containing the victims’ blood, a kitchen knife used in the murder, an empty can of Black Bullet energy drink believed to have been used to drug the victims, and a spoon allegedly used to collect their blood.
The remains of the deceased have been deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, assured the public that justice would be served, urging residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies.
“Our investigation is ongoing to uncover any further details and identify possible accomplices,” Adepoju stated. “The security of all citizens remains our priority.”
Meanwhile, Ojims commended the swift police action in apprehending the suspects and called for a thorough prosecution of the case. She emphasized the need for justice to be served, stressing that such heinous crimes must not go unpunished.
“If these perpetrators were not caught, no one knows who their next victim would have been,” she said. “The authorities must ensure this case is diligently prosecuted because justice for these children is justice for society at large.”
