The Anambra State Police have initiated a manhunt for gunmen suspected to be ransom kidnappers following the abduction of one Hyginus Arinze Nnanyelugo and his Golden-Colored Lexus RX 300 SUV (Registration No. FGG 963 HC) on July 11, 2024.
The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. near Nnanyelugo’s residence at Onoja Oboli Street, opposite Modebe Secondary School, Odoakpu, Onitsha. The abductors reportedly intercepted him while he was driving home, using a tricycle to block his vehicle before taking him and the SUV to an unknown location.
Confirming the abduction, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, stated that efforts are underway to apprehend the culprits, rescue the victim, and recover the stolen vehicle.
In an affidavit sworn by Mrs. MaryCynthia Ogechukwu Nnanyelugo, the victim’s wife, she recounted the traumatic ordeal of her husband’s abduction. The affidavit, dated July 16, 2024, and filed at the Law Chambers of Sir Ben Chudi Izuegbu Esq., described how heavily armed gunmen abducted her husband and his vehicle. Since then, neither his whereabouts nor the location of the vehicle has been determined.
Mrs. Nnanyelugo provided details of the SUV, including the Engine Number (1MZ*4371507) and Chassis Number (MCU10-0052334), while appealing to security agencies to assist in locating her missing husband and his vehicle. She noted the severe emotional and financial impact his absence has had on their family.
A police extract obtained at Fegge Police Division on July 12, 2024, corroborated her account. The extract detailed how the gunmen used a tricycle to double-cross her husband’s vehicle before abducting him.
Mrs. Nnanyelugo also presented evidence of her efforts to publicize the abduction, including a receipt from Radio Sapientia dated July 23, 2024, for N35,000 paid for announcements seeking information about her husband’s disappearance.
Appealing for urgent intervention, she expressed deep distress over her husband’s prolonged absence and urged security agencies to intensify efforts to locate him, whether alive or otherwise, and bring closure to their family’s ordeal.