The Enugu State Police Command have paraded 14 suspected kidnappers allegedly linked to multiple abduction incidents in the state, with the syndicate accused of collecting N30.5 million and $98,700 in ransom from some of their victims.
Addressing newsmen at the state police command yesterday, the Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus, said that the suspects were arrested during a series of intelligence-led operations conducted by operatives of the command.
He said the operations also led to the rescue of three kidnapping victims, arrest of other members of the syndicate, the neutralisation of one suspect and the recovery of ransom money, firearms, ammunition and other incriminating exhibits.
Bitrus said that the latest operations followed the rescue, on August 2, of one of the victims abducted from a church at Inoyi, Affa Community, in Udi Local Government Area. According to him, subsequent joint intelligence-led operations led to the rescue of the remaining two victims, the arrest of three suspects and the neutralisation of one suspect.
“Two additional male suspects linked to the Affa church kidnapping were later arrested in Port Harcourt by the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Violent Crime Response Unit (AK-VCRU),” he said. “Preliminary investigation reveals that, after fleeing Enugu, the suspects regrouped with their cohorts in Port Harcourt and abducted another victim, who was released after a ransom of N5,000,000 was paid,” Bitrus said.
The commissioner said that 12 other suspects had earlier been arrested through human and technical intelligence-led operations conducted between June, July and August 2026 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, Kwara and Taraba states.
“Preliminary investigation linked the suspects to the abduction of a male victim at Mgbabuowa/Aguobuowa, Ezeagu LGA, on May 25, 2026, during which N5.5 million was allegedly obtained as ransom,”he said.
He said they were also linked to the abduction of two male victims and the shooting and murder of a female victim at Obioma, Udi LGA, on May 9, during which the gang allegedly obtained $28,700 as ransom, adding that the suspects were further linked to the abduction of two male victims along the Eke–Ezinze Road, Udi LGA, on April 10, for which $70,000 was allegedly obtained as ransom.
“The suspects were linked to the kidnapping of seven victims at Obinaofia, Ezeagu LGA, on April 12, during which N25 million was allegedly obtained as ransom,” he said.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons, movements and activities through established police channels, stressing that community support remained indispensable to effective intelligence-led policing.
Gideon Arinze
Follow us on:
