A Port Harcourt resident, Kelvin Inikio, has narrated how he was allegedly robbed and assaulted by suspected “one-chance” operators after boarding a commercial mini bus in the city.
Inikio said the incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Friday after he boarded a bus at Rumuosi, en route to Igbo-Etche.
According to him, three men were already inside the vehicle when he boarded, but he did not suspect that they were criminals.
He said the situation changed as they approached Rumuokoro, when one of the men allegedly moved closer to him and pulled out a gun.
The suspects reportedly demanded his ATM card, searched his bag and collected about N5,000 in cash.
“They took my ATM card. They asked me for my phone, but I told them I didn’t have one. They asked how much money I had, and I said I didn’t have anything. They scattered my bag and took the little money I had with me,” he recounted.
Inikio said he was also assaulted during the incident and sustained injuries.
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He later discovered that the suspects had allegedly used his ATM card to conduct online transactions through SportyBet, resulting in the money in his bank account being withdrawn.
“It was when I got to the house that I noticed they used my ATM to do online transactions. I don’t know the transaction, but I saw that it was on SportyBet. The money in my account was gone,” he said.
He added that a woman later gave him N2,000, which enabled him to make a transfer and eventually return home.
The victim appealed to the government and security agencies to take urgent measures to tackle the growing menace of “one-chance” operators in Port Harcourt and protect commuters from similar incidents.
His call comes amid recent efforts by the Rivers State Police Command to tackle one-chance robbery in the state, with the command having paraded suspected operators arrested in different parts of Rivers State.
The police have continued to assure residents of their commitment to protecting lives and property and combating criminal activities across the state.
