Panic swept through Port Harcourt and its surrounding areas on Thursday morning as shocking reports emerged on social media claiming that bags containing decapitated human bodies had been dumped along Iwofe Road in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. The disturbing rumors quickly went viral, sending residents into a frenzy of fear and speculation.
However, the Rivers State Police Command has swiftly debunked the horrifying claims, revealing that the contents of the bags were far from what was rumored. Upon investigating the scene, the police found that the bags contained poultry remains, not human body parts as initially feared.
Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, addressed the matter, stating, "The attention of the Rivers State Police Command has been drawn to news making the rounds, especially on social media, of bags containing decapitated human bodies dumped behind the Omega Power Ministries along Iwofe Road." She assured the public that the police had responded immediately by collaborating with the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) to investigate the suspicious bags.
When officials from RIWAMA, led by its sole administrator, Hon. Prince Ohia Obi, arrived at the scene alongside police officers, they carefully examined the bags in question. To the relief of everyone involved, it was discovered that the bags contained nothing more than poultry debris, likely dumped by unidentified individuals.
The police confirmed that the waste management agency has since evacuated the remains to a designated dumpsite in the city, and there was no cause for alarm. "Those rumors were evidently peddled by mischief makers intent on misleading the gullible public, causing panic and generating unrest," Iringe-Koko added.
She further warned residents to refrain from spreading false information that could cause unnecessary fear, emphasizing that such actions would not be tolerated by the police. "The Command frowns at such behavior and warns those rumor mongers to desist from it," she said, urging Rivers residents to go about their lawful business without fear.
Iringe-Koko also reminded the public of the importance of using assigned refuse dumping sites to prevent incidents like this from being blown out of proportion and stirring unnecessary panic. In a final assurance, she stated, “Rivers residents can go about their lawful business without fear as the alarm was false.”
