The State Police Command has successfully rescued 28 kidnapping victims and apprehended 10 male suspects in various operations across the state.
In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, the Command highlighted that firearms, ammunition, cash, vehicles, motorcycles, and other exhibits were recovered during the coordinated efforts.
These actions are part of ongoing initiatives led by Commissioner of Police Mamman Bitrus Giwa to eliminate criminal activities in the state.
The statement detailed that officers from the Umumba Police Division, in collaboration with the Neighbourhood Watch, Forest Guards, and community members, conducted a tactical operation on Sunday, rescuing two male and two female victims kidnapped along the Umumba-Ndiuno-Aguoba Road in Ezeagu Local Government Area. Four male suspects connected to the crime were arrested and are aiding ongoing investigations.
Additionally, personnel from the 9th Mile Division responded to a distress call the same day, rescuing and rearresting an unidentified male suspect from a violent mob. The suspect and three others had allegedly attempted to kidnap a woman, who raised an alarm, forcing the group to flee.
The rearrested suspect, who sustained injuries from the mob, was taken to a hospital for treatment and remains under investigation.
“Similarly, operatives from the Okpuje Police Division of the Command, in collaboration with Neighbourhood Watch and Forest Guards, on May 17, 2025, carried out a strategic bush-combing operation in a forest bordering Okpuje in Enugu State and Odolu in Kogi State.
“During the operation, they intercepted two men found with ₦150,000 and ₦70,000 respectively, intended for ransom payments, as well as loaves of bread and drinks menacingly requested by the kidnappers.
“Upon further incursion, the team encountered armed resistance from the kidnappers but responded with superior firepower, forcing them to flee with gunshot wounds and abandon the victims, a pump-action gun, and two live cartridges. The victims were rescued unhurt and the exhibits recovered. Efforts to track down the fleeing suspects are ongoing,” the statement read in part.
The police command further explained that policemen from Igbo-Eze North Division, with the military and Neighbourhood Watch, rescued 21 kidnapped victims in Amaka-Okpodu community in Kogi State at about 5:30 a.m. on May 14, 2025.
The victims, some of whom it said were returning from a traditional marriage ceremony, had been allegedly abducted on May 10, 2025, along the Iyionu-Aguibeje Road in the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, 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,” it added.
According to the police statement, a kidnapped victim was rescued by the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad on May 13, 2025, along the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway and recovered his Toyota Camry.
It disclosed that 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 Command said operations to hunt down the fleeing suspects were ongoing.
The police commissioner commended his men, other security agents, and law-abiding community members for their efforts in making the operations successful.