Man K!lled For Using Fake Bank Alert To Buy C0caine In Port Harcourt

Gloria George’s life took a tragic turn when her 34-year-old son, Horsefall Rowland, was discovered dead following a terrifying kidnapping incident. Rowland did not return home on the night of September 10, 2024, despite informing his mother that he was attending a meeting along Peter Odili Road and the Government Reserved Area (GRA) in Port Harcourt.

According to Vanguard, Rowland called his mother at 10 p.m. that night to reassure her that he was on his way home. Gloria became increasingly concerned when Rowland failed to return and became unreachable. Her suspicions were confirmed at 5 a.m. the next day, when Rowland contacted, urgently saying that he was being taken captive by kidnappers.

The family first sent N30,000 to Rowland’s captors in a last-ditch effort to get him released after they delivered menacing voicemails and images threatening severe repercussions. Rowland’s lifeless body was eventually found along Queens/Kings Bakery Abuloma Road, Port Harcourt, despite the family’s best efforts.

On November 1, 2024, Gloria George told the police about the incident and the constant requests for money. “When he called on September 9, 2024, about 5:05 am, he said some persons held him and collected his phone. On that note, he requested N30,000 to settle them and I sent the money. After that, his captors demanded N2.5 million but eventually agreed to N300,000.

“They sent voice notes and pictures to Roland’s girlfriend, threatening that if they didn’t receive the money quickly, we should consider him dead. The money was sent to Roland’s account, and that was the last we heard from him,” she recounted.

Following the incident, the Rivers State Police Command’s Special Operations and Intelligence Team apprehended five suspects: Endurance Thompson, 23, Boma Otonye, 41; David Ishaku, 34; Moses Benjamin, 29; and Emmanuel, 32.

Endurance Thompson, the prime suspect apprehended in his Woji hideout, admitted that Rowland was killed while attempting to pay for hard drugs with a phony bank alert. Thompson claimed that Rowland routinely purchased drugs from him and owed him N150,000. Thompson claimed Rowland attempted to buy cocaine using a bogus bank transfer the night of the event.

“I have known Roland since December 2023. He usually came to buy Charlie (c0caine). But unknown to me, he had been using fake transfer alerts. I got an alert, but my account balance remained unchanged. He owed me N150,000. I raised the alarm, and he was beaten and left alone. Later, he begged me to take him to the hospital. I called Justice, who told me to bring him over. Roland died in the Keke Marwa that took him to Justice’s place. Justice and Michael later dumped his body beside a bakery,” Thompson revealed.

Rowland’s body was placed at the morgue, according to Rivers State Police spokesman SP Grace Iringe-Koko. She also mentioned that there are still attempts to apprehend additional individuals in the case.