The driver of a tricycle, popularly known as a keke, has denied responsibility for the death of a cross‑dressing woman later identified as Emmanuel Oliseh Ogaebulam (formerly reported as Emmanuella Ada‑obi). The incident occurred on the night of 31 January 2023 in Rumulumeni, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, when the victim was returning from a church programme. After the accident, her body was taken to the military hospital in Port Harcourt, where a mortician discovered her biological sex.
Peter Okon, the keke driver, reported himself to the police and was placed in protective custody at the Iwofe Police Station near Port Harcourt. Speaking through his lawyer, Nyeche Amah, Okon asserted that he did not hit or kill the victim, contrary to circulating social‑media claims. Amah explained that the cross‑dresser was actually a passenger on the tricycle. While Okon was driving, a little girl with a wheelbarrow attempted to cross the road, prompting him to swerve to avoid her. In the maneuver, the passenger fell out of the vehicle and into a drainage channel, where she sustained fatal injuries. According to Amah, the driver was “hale and hearty” and was not detained but kept in protective custody to shield him from possible retaliation by sympathizers of the victim.
The deceased was a male cross‑dresser who sang in the choir of a Catholic church in St. John’s, Iwofe. Reports suggested she was preparing for a traditional marriage and was awaiting a “white wedding” officiated by the parish priest. A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said the man she was to marry had denied any plans to wed her and lived abroad. A viral photograph showing the victim in traditional attire with a man sparked speculation that the man was her fiancé; however, the individual in the picture denied any knowledge of her.
Attempts to contact the State Police Command spokesperson, Grace Iringe‑Koko, were unsuccessful at the time of this report.
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