Police arrest five in Rivers over ‘online dating scam’, rescue woman

The Rivers state police command says its operatives have arrested five suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate that allegedly lures victims through online dating platforms.

In a statement on Tuesday, Agabe Kaborlo, the command’s spokesperson, said the suspects were allegedly involved in the abduction of a 24-year-old woman identified as Chinyere along the Igwirita-Etche road in Rivers state.

The victim had travelled from Delta state to Port Harcourt on October 3, 2026, to visit a friend she met online before she was kidnapped.

The incident was reported to the police on October 4, 2026, at about 9am.

“Following the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Police Command, CP Olugbenga A. Adepoju, psc, mnips, fcai, Upon receipt of the complaint, the operatives of the Command Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) Diobu immediately swung into action and arrested the perpetrators of this crime,” the statement reads.

“The name of the suspects are: one Gift Okeregwu, male, aged 23, a native of Okehi Community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, who was arrested at his hideout along the Omuoda Pipeline, Allu, Port Harcourt,

“One Okeregwu Onyekachi, male, aged 27, a native of Okehi Community, Etche LGA, one Bright Augustine, male, aged 27, a native of Akukabu Community, Etche LGA, one Chijoke Nwalozie, male, aged 35, a native of Akukabu Community, Etche LGA, and one Obinachi Rita, female, aged 26, a native of Rivers State.”

Kaborlo said the suspects confessed to their involvement in the kidnapping during interrogation and provided information about other abduction incidents in Igwirita and Etche.

The spokesperson added that the suspects disclosed that they lured victims from within and outside Port Harcourt through online dating sites before abducting them.

The command urged the public to exercise caution when interacting with strangers on online dating platforms, verify their identities before arranging physical meetings, and promptly report suspicious activities to the police.