Members of a local vigilante group in charge of Eagle Island, Port Harcourt City local government area of Rivers State, in collaboration with Police officers attached to the Azikiwe Police Division, have arrested twelve suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “yahoo boys”, for allegedly burying a newborn baby on Wednesday.
The fraudsters were said to have buried the baby at the waterfront in Eagle Island.
The Chairman of Phalga Security Watch, Victor Ohaji, who doubles as the Chief Security Officer of Eagle Island, said they got intelligence that some ”yahoo boys” were carrying out incantation at the waterfront.
Ohaji said he quickly mobilized his men and on getting to the waterfront, the boys had left.
According to the Vigilante leader, after a close observation of the area, they discovered that the boys had buried something at the waterfront.
The Chief Security Officer of Eagle Island, Ohaji said they dug the ground and discovered a newborn baby who was already dead.
He said they alerted the Rivers State Neighborhood Watch and the Station Officer of the Police post at Eagle Island, who then informed the Divisional Police Officer of Azikiwe Police Division.
Ohaji further explained that they went in search of the boys and apprehended them while they were coming out from a hotel within Eagle Island.
He confirmed that the boys were handed over to the police for proper investigation and prosecution.
“This morning, one of my brothers called me that some yahoo boys were doing some incantation in the Eagle Island Waterfront, in the Andoni area sandfield.
“So, immediately I called my boys and we swung into action. When we got to the scene of the crime, the boys had left.
“I asked my brother where the boys were doing the incantation, he showed me. When I saw the area, I knew something was buried there.
“We had to dig the area to know what was buried there. When we dug the place, we saw a bouncing baby boy, a newborn baby inside the ground.
“Immediately I called the SO of Eagle Island, being the Station Officer of Eagle Island, and I told him what we discovered.
“He said, let him relate to the DPO and immediately, we started going around in Eagle Island to make sure we apprehend the boys.
“We went from hotel to hotel, together with the police and the Rivers State Neighborhood Watch. We moved around, we saw them coming out of a hotel.
“As they saw us, they started running but we apprehended them. We took them to the police station, including the dead baby, to show them what we had discovered.
“One of the leaders of the yahoo boys was ranting, saying his father is a Major General and nothing will happen, that his father is coming.
“I’m pleading with the Rivers State Government to assist Phalga Security Watch. We are really working in this state. We hire a vehicle every day and nobody is paying us.
“Please, let them come to our aid and assist us so that we can get a vehicle that we can use to turn round the whole state to make sure we bring perpetrators of crime to book.” He added.
In the meantime, the Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of the suspected fraudsters, who allegedly buried the newborn baby.
The Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, said the suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for proper investigation.
She added that if at the end of the investigation, the suspects are found guilty, they will be charged to court for justice to prevail
