Anxiety as residents discovers corpse with machete cuts in Rivers

Pandemonium erupted at Ikoku Market in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Rivers State, early Saturday as traders discovered a corpse bearing machete wounds.

The shocking sight of the victim, whose private parts were reportedly removed, raised suspicions of a ritual killing. The body was found abandoned in front of a new-generation bank near Ayama Junction on Olu-Obasanjo Road.

Eyewitnesses said the man’s stomach had been ripped open, with his intestines exposed. Emeka, a local shop owner, confirmed the unsettling details but noted that the victim’s identity was still unknown, as onlookers crowded the scene in disbelief.

However, the Rivers State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident and provided clarity on the situation. According to Iringe-Koko, a preliminary investigation indicated the victim was notorious in the area and may have been lynched by an angry mob. Contrary to reports of organ harvesting, she emphasized that all vital organs were intact.

She said: “On November 9, 2024, at about 1030hrs, the Rivers State Police Command received a report of an unidentified corpse lying near Ayama Junction/Ikokwu Spare Parts Market, along Olu-Obasanjo Road, Port Harcourt. Our operatives promptly