The Anambra State Police Command has arrested four suspected kidnappers linked to separate kidnapping and armed robbery cases while foiling another alleged abduction attempt in Ogbaru Local Government Area.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed on Sunday that the arrests were part of ongoing operations targeting kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, homicide, banditry, drug-related offences and other violent crimes across the state.
According to Ikenga, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, arrested 32-year-old Okoye Ibegbunam Chukwuebuka John, also known as “Bone”, on July 15 during investigations into the kidnapping of a victim in Okpanam, Delta State.
Police recovered a locally made pistol, two live rounds of ammunition, an axe and an Itel Android phone bearing the victim’s photograph. The suspect allegedly confessed to participating in the crime, while efforts continue to apprehend other members of the gang.
In a separate operation on July 16, police operatives, working with detectives from the Ogbaru Divisional Headquarters, arrested three suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate and recovered a black Toyota Camry believed to have been used in their operations.
The suspects were identified as Chekwube Chukwu, 32, Amarachukwu Nwobosi, 34, and Sopuluchukwu Ifeakor, 30.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the trio allegedly attempted to kidnap a female POS operator in Iyiowa, Odekpe, Atani. The victim raised an alarm, attracting residents and prompting a swift police response that foiled the plot.
Investigators also linked the suspects to the June 3 kidnapping of another female POS operator in Onitsha, who was reportedly abducted, dispossessed of two POS machines and mobile phones, and forced to pay a ₦3.5 million ransom before regaining her freedom.
The suspects are assisting investigators with information to identify other members of the syndicate and their receivers, while the police urged residents to continue providing credible information to support crime-fighting efforts.