34-year-old son, Horsefall Rowland, did not return home on the evening of September 10, 2024. Earlier that day, around 3:30 PM, he had informed his mother that he was heading to a meeting at Peter Odili Road and the Government Reserved Area in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. However, he never came back as reported by Vanguard News.
The primary suspect, Thompson, confessed to the crime after being captured in the Woji area. He claimed that Rowland was beaten to death after allegedly trying to pay for drugs with a fake bank transfer alert. Thompson stated that he had known Rowland since December 2023, as Rowland frequently purchased drugs from him. He explained that Rowland had been using counterfeit transfer notifications to make his purchases, which ultimately led to the violent confrontation that resulted in Rowland’s death.
Thompson detailed how Rowland had come to him seeking drugs in the early morning hours of September 11, 2024. After discovering the counterfeit payment, Rowland was beaten and abandoned. Although he later asked for medical assistance, he died on the way to a friend’s house. The suspects then disposed of his body near a bakery on Abuloma Road
Before his untimely death, that night, at approximately 10 PM, Gloria spoke to her son, who assured her that he was on his way home. As the hours passed without any further contact, her worry intensified. By 5 AM the following day, her fears were realized when Rowland called her in a panic, informing her that he was being held captive by kidnappers.
As the family rushed to gather the ransom for his release, they received menacing voice messages and images from his captors, warning that Rowland would be killed if the money was not paid. In a desperate attempt to secure his safety, the family sent an initial amount of N30,000, hoping it would lead to his release. Tragically, their hopes were dashed when Rowland’s body was later found on Queens/Kings Bakery Road in Abuloma, Port Harcourt.
In her statement to the police on November 1, 2024, Gloria described the relentless and cruel nature of the kidnappers’ demands. She recounted that on September 9, at about 5:05 AM, Rowland had called to say he was being held and needed N30,000, which she sent. Subsequently, his captors demanded N2.5 million, and eventually, the family managed to send N300,000.
The suspects sent threatening voice notes and images to Rowland’s girlfriend, warning that if they did not receive the N300,000 soon, they should consider him dead. After the money was transferred to Rowland’s account, that was the last communication the family had with him.
In response to the family’s complaint, the Special Operation and Intelligence Team of the Rivers State Police Command acted swiftly, apprehending five suspects: Endurance Thompson, 23; Boma Otonye, 41; David Ishaku, 34; Moses Benjamin, 29; and Emmanuel, 32.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that Rowland’s remains had been taken to the morgue for preservation. She added that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other individuals involved in the brutal attack that led to Rowland’s death.
