Kelechi Uzor, an electronic hailing cab driver, surrendered himself to the Okporo Police Station in Rumuodara, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, in an act of voluntary surrender to establish his innocence concerning the purported missing of a passenger he had dropped off.
As per accounts, Uzor supposedly concluded the transportation of his passenger, known as Elizabeth Edoukumor, at Harmony Estate in Eliozu, Port Harcourt, yet the lady’s disappearance was announced within hours of the drop-off.
However, the driver operating for Bolt denied any knowledge of her whereabouts once she disembarked from the vehicle, making it clear that he had no prior acquaintance with her.
Uzor, while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt on Friday, said, “On October 9, 2023, she booked a ride at Eastern By-Pass (in Port Harcourt). I took her to Harmony Estate at Eliozu. When I got to the estate, I parked because you cannot enter the estate without authorisation of someone inside.
‘When the lady (Elizabeth) got the permission to enter, I entered the estate, parked at the residence she was going to, she offloaded her bags because she came with some goods, paid me in cash and I drove off.’
‘When I entered the estate, I was checked by the securitymen, when I was leaving, I was also checked. They checked everything in my car gave me permission to leave the estate.’
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‘Later that night, a lady called me and was asking whether I picked her (Elizabeth) up from the estate, I said no. That what I did was to drop her at the estate and left the place.’
‘After that day, another man called and asked me if I heard anything, if she (Elizabeth) made any call that I could remember. I told him no, that I didn’t listen to her conversation.’
He explained that the next day, some people were calling to lure him to a certain area, saying, ‘They will call me and ask if I’m a Bolt driver. I should come and pick them so, so place.’
‘I said no, I cannot that they have to book Bolt first before I can pick anyone. They have been calling, and I now discovered that one of them is the supposed uncle to the girl.’
‘So, after I refused to meet them, they are now telling me that I am the Bolt driver who took Elizabeth to so and so place. I told them yes that I have explained to them that I dropped the girl and left.’
‘Since then, I have been getting threat calls and like the uncle threatening me that I should better bring the girl alive that this one is bad market.’
‘He was saying other threats. I have not received any call from the police to come but I went to the police station to say my own side of the story because the calls and threats are becoming too much.’
‘So I came to find out why the parents of the girl are threatening me because I have no hand in the disappearance of the girl. So I came to the police station to complain.’
However, a social media post believed to be from her family suggested that the missing woman (Elizabeth) had contacted her relatives at approximately 6:31pm, conveying her departure from her aunt’s place within the stated estate and her plan to return home, but her line later became inaccessible and subsequently turned off.
The Bolt map highlighted by our correspondent showed that the Bolt driver left Elizabeth within Harmony Estate at roughly 6:16pm.
Wiro stated that the most suitable approach would have been to notify the police station rather than arranging a private encounter with the Bolt driver.
When reached for comment, Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, indicated that she would investigate and get back with a response. However, up to the current press time, she has not fulfilled that.