Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested a native doctor, Kingsley Opurum, along with three others, for the alleged ritualistic killing of twins in the Rukpokwu Community, Obio/Akpor local government area of the state.
The victims, seven-year-old Chizaram Onuche and his twin sister Chidinma Onuche, were reportedly murdered by the suspects for ritual purposes.
The 43-year-old Opurum was apprehended with his girlfriend, 19-year-old Luis John Uwelemele, and 47-year-old Friday Silas.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the state, stated in a release from Port Harcourt that the arrests followed a report from the Special Area Division in Rumuodomaya, prompting immediate action from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command.
Iringe-Koko detailed that the native doctor lured the two children to his location, drugged them with a beverage called Black Bullet as a sedative, and ultimately slaughtered them, collecting their blood in a bottle.
The PPRO confirmed that the remains of the murdered children have been deposited in a mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
In her statement, Iringe-Koko recounted that “on 23rd March 2025, at approximately 9 am, operatives arrested the native doctor and the other individuals involved in this heinous crime.”
“During the operation, law enforcement officers recovered crucial evidence, including a bottle containing the drained blood of the victims.”
The arrested suspects include Aniekan, 27, a native of Akwa Ibom residing at 2nd Pipeline, Rukpokwu, who allegedly lured the children to his location where they were drugged, subsequently slaughtered, and their blood collected in a bottle.
Uwelemele, originally from Cross River State but living in Omuike, Aluu, is Aniekan’s girlfriend and is connected to the crime.
Another suspect, Opurum, hails from Etche in Rivers State and lives at 3rd Pipeline, Eneka. He has been implicated as being complicit in the murders.
Silas, from Plateau State and residing at 2nd Pipeline, Rukpokwu, was implicated by Aniekan as the one who provided shelter in the unfinished building where the killings took place.
Iringe-Koko added that “Aniekan confessed he became involved in the ritual killing after visiting the native doctor and witnessing him perform similar rituals for others in exchange for wealth. The doctor instructed him to supply fresh human remains and blood for these rituals.”
The PPRO further disclosed that law enforcement visited the crime scene, documenting evidence through photographs and recovering additional items.
The recovered evidence includes a kitchen knife identified as the murder weapon, a bottle filled with the victims’ blood, an empty can of Black Bullet used to drug the victims before the murders, and a spoon used to collect the blood.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, has assured the public that justice will prevail in this case, urging residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station.
