​Police Nab Three Over Murder of Rivers Bus Driver

​PORT HARCOURT – The Rivers State Police Command has smashed a deadly syndicate specializing in carjacking and homicide, arresting three suspects in connection with the brutal murder of a 55-year-old commercial bus driver.

​The victim, Christopher Emmanuel Akpabio, a native of Akwa Ibom State, was reportedly lured to his death under the guise of a charter service, after which his killers buried his body in a shallow grave.

​Lured to a Shallow Grave

​The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Blessing Agabe, confirmed the breakthrough in a statement released in Port Harcourt.

ADVERTISEMENT

​According to the police spokesperson, the suspects contracted Akpabio on May 22, 2026, at the popular Garrison Park in Port Harcourt. They allegedly chartered his black Daihatsu Hijet minibus (Registration No: BGM 328 DA) to transport them to Asarama community in the Andoni Local Government Area for a purported traditional marriage ceremony.

​However, the journey proved to be a fatal trap. En route to their destination, the suspects turned on the driver, murdered him, and hurriedly buried his remains in a shallow grave within the Asarama community before fleeing with his vehicle.

​”The suspects hired the driver under the guise of transporting them for a traditional marriage ceremony, unknown to him that they had a sinister mission to murder him and dispossess him of his vehicle,” ASP Agabe stated.

​Breakthrough and Arrests

​Following a missing person report filed on May 22, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, ordered an immediate, intelligence-driven investigation. Operatives from the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit based in Diobu subsequently tracked down and arrested three primary suspects on May 28, 2026.

​The police identified the apprehended suspects as:

• ​David Mark (30) – Native of Andoni LGA

• ​Nkajit Williams (45) – Native of Andoni LGA

• ​Godgift John (33) – Native of Okrika LGA

​During the targeted raid, detectives successfully recovered the victim’s stolen minibus. Akpabio’s body has since been exhumed from the shallow grave and deposited at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) mortuary for autopsy and preservation.

​Police Issue Advisory to Drivers

​The Command noted that while three suspects are securely in custody, active manhunts have been intensified to apprehend a fourth accomplice who remains at large.

​In light of the incident, the Rivers State Police Command has urged commercial drivers to exercise extreme caution, particularly when negotiating long-distance or late-night trips with unfamiliar clients. Drivers are strongly advised to inform family members or transport union union officials of their itineraries before embarking on chartered trips.