Body Of Missing Real Estate Mogul Found In Bayelsa Forest

The Bayelsa State Police Command has confirmed the discovery of the lifeless body of a missing real estate mogul, Mr. Ekpeboh Richard, days after he was declared missing.

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) found his decomposing body around 6 p.m. on Saturday in a swampy forest between the NDDC IDP Camp Road and Otuokpoti in Ogbia Local Government Area.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Richard, who was shot in the head at close range, was executed and dumped in the forest.

A native of Amassoma in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Richard was the Vice Chairman of the Real Estate Consultants Association of Bayelsa State and a father of two. He was last seen on 24 July, after leaving home. His wife reported him missing the following morning when he failed to return.

According to family sources, suspicious WhatsApp messages were later sent from his phone, claiming he was safe and instructing his wife not to worry. The messages included an unusual ₦15,300 transfer through a PoS operator and references to alleged debts of ₦9 million and ₦3 million to colleagues in the real estate sector. Police later established that the messages were sent by his abductors to mislead the family and delay rescue efforts.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing two young men in a blue Honda V-Boot dragging Richard into the forest before two gunshots were heard. The assailants reportedly escaped in his Toyota Matrix, which was also stolen.

At the crime scene, police recovered evidence of a struggle, including a piece of the deceased’s footwear. His body, partially submerged in the swamp, bore severe gunshot injuries to the head.

The Homicide Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) is leading the investigation, focusing on a possible business dispute or links to cybercrime and money laundering.

“We are leaving no stone unturned,” a senior police officer said. “The perpetrators will be apprehended and brought to justice.”

Commissioner of Police Francis Idu, though on official assignment in Abuja, has directed the SCID to intensify efforts to track the killers and uncover the motive behind the murder.