The Bayelsa State Police Command has launched an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a 24-year-old member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. Levi Anyanwu.
Anyanwu, with registration number BYS/25A/0244, was serving at the Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama, in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, before he was declared missing on October 8, 2025.
Police spokesperson Musa Mohammed, in a statement on Sunday, said the command had directed operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the statement, initial investigations revealed that the corps member was last seen with a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Wisdom George, who are members of the same religious group, Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The statement added: “On October 10, 2025, one Mr. Oke Emmanuel, also a corps member and roommate to the missing person, was invited for questioning. He confirmed that Levi was with the George family until October 6.”
Mr. George reportedly told detectives that the corps member had complained of being ill and was taken to the Kaiama Referral Hospital on October 4. He was discharged the next day but allegedly went missing on October 6.
The police further disclosed that investigators uncovered an attempt by two inmates of the Igbara Correctional Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, to extort N100,000 from the victim’s father by posing as kidnappers.
Detectives traced the fraudulent call to an inmate at the facility, who confessed that he saw the phone number online and decided to exploit the family.
The money was reportedly paid into an Opay account (7042793493) belonging to one Atinuke Oluwalose, said to be an associate of the inmate.
The statement noted that Anyanwu’s mobile phone was recovered from his apartment, adding that preliminary findings suggest his disappearance may not be linked to kidnapping.
“There are declarations he made about certain recent social preferences and appetites that impinge on his religious beliefs,” the police hinted, adding that efforts are ongoing to conclude the investigation.
In a similar case last year, a corps member, Yahya Faruq, serving in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, was declared missing, leading to the arrest of four suspects by the police.