By Adebeso Precious (SIWES Student, DS Adegbenro Polytechnic)
To assert his innocence in connection with the alleged disappearance of a girl he had dropped off, Kelechi Uzor, an e-Hailing cab driver, voluntarily surrendered himself to the Okporo Police Station in Rumuodara, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Uzor explained that he had picked up the passenger, identified as Elizabeth Edoukumor, at Eastern By-Pass in Port Harcourt on October 9, 2023. He drove her to Harmony Estate at Eliozu but couldn’t enter the gated estate.
She asked him to wait while she got permission to enter. Once granted access, he entered the estate, she offloaded her bags, paid him in cash, and he left.
Later that night, someone called him, inquiring about Elizabeth, and he explained he had dropped her at the estate and left.
The following day, he received calls from people claiming to be associated with Elizabeth, but he refused to meet them, insisting they should book a Bolt ride. These callers accused him of taking her to another location.
Uzor started receiving threat calls, including from Elizabeth’s supposed uncle, demanding he produce the girl. Due to the mounting threats, he went to the police station to explain his side of the story.
The girl’s family had posted on social media, indicating she called them around 6:31pm, saying she was leaving her aunt’s place in the estate and heading home, but her line became unavailable. The Bolt map showed he dropped her inside Harmony Estate at around 6:16pm.
Prince Wiro, a rights advocate, accompanied Uzor to the police station and criticized the girl’s parents for not initially reporting the matter to the police.
The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, had not provided any information on the situation as of the press time.
