Mr Kelechi Uzor, a bolt driver has submitted himself to Okporo Police Station, Rumuodara in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state to say what he knows about a missing girl, Elizabeth Edoukumor who was declared missing hours after Mr Uzor dropped her at harmony estate, Eliozu, Port Harcourt. Mr Uzor has also denied culpability in the incident.
In an interview with our reporter, the bolt said “On that 9th of October she booked for a ride at Eastern byepass. I took her to harmony estate at Eliozu, when I got to the estate, I parked because you cannot enter the estate without authorization of someone inside .
“So when the lady got the permission to enter, that is Elizabeth, I entered the estate, parked at the residence she was going to, she offloaded her bags, because she came with some goods, she paid me in cash and I droved off.
“When I entered the estate, I was checked by the security, when I was leaving, I was checked, they checked everything in my car, they now gave me permission to leave the estate.
“Later that night, a lady called me and was asking whether I picked her (Elizabeth) up from the estate, I told the lady no. That what I did, was to drop her at the estate and left the place. After that day, another man called was asking me question whether, I heard anything, if she(Elizabeth) made any call that I could remember, I told him no that I did not listen to her conversation, I was only taking her to the place she asked me to take her to.
“So the next day, some other people were calling me trying to lure me to a certain area, they will call me and say, am I a bolt driver, I should come and pick them so, so place .”I said no, I cannot come and pick them, you have to book bolt first before I can pick you, I cannot just come and pick you.
“They have been calling, I now discovered that one of them is the supposed Uncle to the girl. After when I refused to meet them, they are now telling me that I am the bolt driver who took Elizabeth to so so place. I told them yes that I have explained to them, that I dropped the girl and left .
“So since then I have been getting calls and threat, like the Uncle threatened me that I should better bring the girl alive that this one is bad market. He was saying other threats. I have not also received any call from the Police to come.
“I came to Police station to say my own side of the story because the calls and threat is becoming too much, So I came to find out why the parents of the girl are threatening me. I have no hand in disappearance of the girl.”So I came to Police station to complain”.
In the meantime post on social media believed to have been made about the missing Elizabeth Edoukumor by her family indicated that she called her people at about 6:31pm that she was leaving her aunt’s place in harmony estate to home but her line was later not reachagable and went off afterwards.
The bolt map cited by our correspondent indicated that the bolt driver dropped Elizabeth inside harmony estate by 6:16pm.
In the meantime, Prince Wiro, a human rights advocate who led Mr Uzor to the Police station has urged the parents of relatives of the missing girl to come to the Police station rather than asking the bolt driver to meet them privately.
Mr Wiro who is also the National Coordinator of Centre for Basic Rights And Accountability Campaign said after the bolt driver approached him, he (Wiro) as a patriotic Nigerian, encouraged and took the bolt driver who is a person of interest to the Police station so that he can assist investigation.
