Police Rescue 28 Kidnapped Victims In Enugu
Twenty-eight kidnapped victims have been rescued by the operatives of the Enugu State Police Command.
The operatives also arrested ten male suspects, and recovered firearms, ammunition, cash, vehicles, motorcycles, and other exhibits in multiple coordinated operations.
This was disclosed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, in a release on Wednesday.
According to him, police operatives attached to Umumba Police Division, on May 18, 2025, at about 6:30pm, in conjunction with the Neighbourhood Watch, Forest Guards, and community members rescued two male and two female victims kidnapped along Umumba-Ndiuno-Aguobu Road in Ezeagu LGA following a bush-combing exercise, adding that four male suspects linked to the crime were arrested and being investigated.
He added that on the same day, at about 6:34pm, operatives from 9th Mile Division rescued and rearrested a yet-to-be identified male suspect from a violent mob.
“The suspect and three others had attempted to kidnap a woman, who raised an alarm and was abandoned by the suspects,” Ndukwe stated, adding that, “The rearrested suspect, who was severely beaten by the mob, was taken to hospital for treatment and is being investigated.”
In another development, police operatives from Okpuje Police Division of the command, in collaboration with Neighbourhood Watch and Forest Guards, on May 17, 2025, combed a forest bordering Okpuje in Enugu State and Odolu in Kogi State, and intercepted two men found with ₦150,000.00 and ₦70,000.00 respectively, intended for ransom payments, as well as loaves of bread and drinks requested by alleged kidnappers.
He stated that, “Upon further incursion, the team encountered armed resistance from the kidnappers but responded with superior firepower, forcing them to flee with gunshot wounds and abandoned the victims, a pump-action gun, and two live cartridges. The victims were rescued unhurt and the exhibits recovered.”
He also announced that on May 14, 2025, at about 5:30am, operatives from Igbo-Eze North Division, with the military and Neighbourhood Watch, rescued 21 kidnapped victims in Amaka-Okpodu community in Kogi State.
He stated that, “The victims, some of whom were returning from a traditional marriage ceremony, had been allegedly abducted on May 10, 2025, along Iyionu-Aguibeje Road in Igbo-Eze North LGA by hooded armed men. Five male suspects were subsequently arrested following credible intelligence, and three firearms were also recovered. Additionally, a minibus and four motorcycles used by the travelling victims were earlier recovered from the scene of the crime.”
He added that the operatives of the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, on May 13, 2025, at about 9:45pm, rescued a kidnapped victim along Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway and recovered his Toyota Camry.
“A white Toyota Corolla with registration number ENU 703 LP used by the suspects and a Lexus 330 Jeep abandoned at the kidnapping scene in Premier Layout, Independence Layout, Enugu, were also recovered,” the release stated.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Bitrus Giwa, has commended the police operatives, the collaborating security agents and law-abiding community members for their efforts in making the operations successful.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to make Enugu State safer, and urged the residents to remain law-abiding, vigilant, and cooperative with police and other law enforcement authorities.
Police Rescue 28 Kidnapped Victims In Enugu is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
