The Rivers State Police Command has officially dismissed alarming reports circulating on social media regarding bags purportedly containing decapitated human remains found in Iwofe, located within the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
According to The PUNCH, the rumours began to spread early Thursday morning, causing significant panic among residents of Port Harcourt and surrounding areas.
Investigation found that local residents had observed police and government officials arriving at the scene shortly after the reports surfaced.
Upon opening the bags, it was revealed that they contained only poultry remains.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the swift response to the concerning claims, noting that the police reached out to the state waste management agency for assistance in examining the suspicious bags.
The sole administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency, Hon Prince Ohia Obi, led a public health team to the location to conduct a thorough inspection.
In an official statement, the police revealed, “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. The Police responded swiftly to the claims by contacting the Rivers State Waste Management Agency to jointly examine the bags. The sole administrator of RIWAMA, Hon Prince Ohia Obi, led the agency’s public health team to carry out the examination process.”
The examination concluded that the contents of the bags were not human parts but rather poultry debris discarded by unknown individuals.
Subsequently, the Rivers State Waste Management Agency took action to remove the waste to one of Port Harcourt’s designated dumping sites.
Iringe-Koko labeled the rumours as misleading and attributed them to individuals seeking to incite fear and unrest within the community. She emphasized, “Those rumours were evidently peddled by mischief makers intent on misleading the gullible public, causing panic and generating unrest.”
The police spokesperson reassured residents that they could continue their daily activities without fear, stating that the alarm was unfounded.
Furthermore, she urged the public to utilize designated waste disposal sites to prevent future incidents of misinformation.
“We also encourage members of the public to identify and make use of the assigned refuse dumping sites close to them to prevent misleading information such as these, please,” she added.
In light of these events, the police have reiterated their commitment to maintaining public safety and order in Rivers State, while also condemning the spread of false information that could jeopardize community peace.
