The Ebonyi State Police Command has dismissed reports claiming that a new terrorist group has emerged in the state and kidnapped scores of residents in Izzi Local Government Area.
The command described the reports as false, baseless and misleading, warning journalists and social media users against circulating unverified information capable of creating fear and panic among residents.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, made the clarification in a statement issued on Friday in Abakaliki.
Ukandu said the command was reacting to a social media report alleging that a newly formed terror group had abducted scores of people in Izzi and was holding more than 100 Ebonyi indigenes captive.
According to him, there was no evidence before the police to support the claim of a mass abduction or the emergence of a new terrorist organisation in the state.
He explained that the incident at the centre of the report was first brought to the attention of the police on July 28 by one Okemini Ogbonna.
Ogbonna reportedly told the police that his three brothers left home on July 27 to watch a football match but failed to return.
The family later received a message allegedly from a group identifying itself as “Bloody Vampires,” claiming responsibility for the disappearance of the three men.
According to the police, the sender threatened to kill the missing men unless the Ebonyi State Government paid $5 million within 62 hours.
“Ogbonna subsequently received a message purportedly from a group calling itself ‘Bloody Vampires’, claiming responsibility for the disappearance of his brothers,” Ukandu said.
The police spokesperson said investigators immediately began tracing the telephone number used in issuing the threat and deployed operational resources to establish those behind the communication.
The investigation, he said, eventually led security operatives to an area around the Ogun State Correctional Centre.
Ukandu said investigators also encountered another person who had allegedly been targeted by members of the same syndicate using a similar method to demand money.
According to him, the second victim became suspicious and threatened to report the matter to the police after realising that he might have been dealing with fraudsters.
“The victim, upon realising that he was dealing with scammers, threatened to report the matter to the Police,” Ukandu said.
He added that an acquaintance of the victim, who had allegedly been used by the syndicate as part of the scheme, later emerged from a neighbouring village where he had been hiding.
The police said investigations were continuing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the case, identify those involved and determine what happened to the three missing brothers.
Ukandu, however, strongly rejected claims that more than 100 Ebonyi residents were being held captive or that scores of people had been kidnapped in Izzi.
“The claim, without any corresponding reports, incidents or widespread security concerns within the state, is a gross exaggeration and an allegation taken too far,” he said.
The command maintained that no credible evidence had emerged to support claims of widespread abductions or the operation of a new terror group in the state.
Police also cautioned members of the public against spreading alarming security reports without first verifying them with relevant authorities.
Ukandu said sensational claims could unnecessarily create panic, undermine public confidence and complicate ongoing security investigations.
He assured residents that the command, under Commissioner of Police Hope Okafor, remained committed to protecting lives and property across Ebonyi State.
The police said efforts were continuing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the three men and to apprehend anyone found to have participated in the alleged extortion scheme.
