Police arrest four over missing corps member in Rivers

The Rivers State Police Command said its operatives had arrested four suspects over the disappearance of a member of the National Youth Service Corps identified as Yahya Faruq, serving in Ikuru town in Andoni Local Government Area of the state.

This came as the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria said Faruq went missing on Monday, October 14, 2024. Since then, the corps member who was posted to a secondary school in Ikuru town for his primary assignment and works part-time in a company in the area hasn’t been seen after eight days.

Reacting to the incident on Tuesday, the command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed Faruq’s disappearance, saying the investigation was ongoing.

Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, further said the State Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Mohammed, received some NYSC officials in the state who visited him today with respect to the incident.
She stated, “Yes, I am aware of it. Four persons have been arrested and transferred to the SCID for discreet investigation. Already a team of NYSC officials were with the CO today where he briefed them on the arrest and other measures being taken to ensure that the corps member is found. ”

An earlier statement from the MSSN, Edo Central Area Council, obtained by our correspondent, expressed anxiety and devastation over the incident.
It read, “Faruq, who reportedly went missing on Monday, October 14, 2024, is a corps member, serving in the National Youth Service Corps NYSC, in Rivers State. Till the time of the announcement of his disappearance, he was serving at Mixed Secondary School, Ikuru Town, Adoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“Faruq was also reported to have been working on a part-time basis at LDM Chinese Milling Company, in the same Ikuru Town, Adoni LGA.”

While appealing for help, the group said, among others, “The alarming fact is that he signed in for his shift but did not sign out, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions, unbearable anxiety for his family, friends and colleagues, and a gaping void in our lives.

“Adding to our distress, LDM Chinese Milling Company returned his bag and phone to his place of primary assignment, Mixed Secondary School, Ikuru Town, Adoni LGA, Rivers State, fueling our fears and deepening the mystery.

“We desperately seek your assistance, prayers and empathy to locate our dear brother and ensure his safe return. Every passing moment is agonising. Anyone with information, no matter how small, should come forward and help us unravel the mystery surrounding his disappearance.”

When contacted on the incident, a Public Relations Officer of the NYSC in Rivers State, Christian Onuoha, said he was not competent to speak on the matter.