The Bayelsa State Police Command has rescued a 42-year-old woman, Esther Chinedu, nearly one month after she was abducted in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
Chinedu was kidnapped on July 28, 2026, after suspected kidnappers reportedly stormed her phone shop under the guise of wanting to buy an item.
The Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, CP Ajao Adewale, disclosed this on Sunday while briefing journalists on the successful operation.
Adewale said the victim was rescued unhurt from the kidnappers’ hideout in Ogumbri Forest, South-Dajo area, while one of the suspected kidnappers was arrested.
According to him, the command received a distress call at about 7pm on the day of the abduction and immediately activated its intelligence network.
He said intelligence gathered through digital and local sources helped the police track the kidnappers’ movements and monitor their ransom negotiations with the victim’s family.
The kidnappers initially demanded N100m but later reduced the ransom to N20m.
The CP said operatives of the command’s Crime Response Squad, led by CSP Chris Mark, relocated to Ogumbri Forest five days before the final operation and gradually closed in on the suspects.
He said the operatives stormed the kidnappers’ camp at about 1:45am, rescued the victim and arrested a 33-year-old suspect identified as Mark from Akemfa 1 community.
Adewale said the suspect had confessed to his alleged involvement in the abduction and provided details of how the gang reportedly carried out the operation.
According to him, the kidnappers surveyed the victim’s shop before abducting her and transporting her by vehicle and boat to the forest camp.
The rescue operation involved personnel from the Crime Response Squad, the Federal Criminal Investigation Unit and the Marine Department.
The commissioner commended the officers involved, particularly those who endured difficult conditions on the river while tracking the suspects.
He also appreciated the Bayelsa State Government, led by Governor Douye Diri, for providing logistical support for the operation.
Husband paid N1.8m as kidnappers demanded more
The victim’s husband recounted the difficult weeks he spent negotiating with the kidnappers for his wife’s release.
He said the kidnappers initially demanded N2m and instructed him to transfer N1m each into two accounts. However, he only had N300,000 and transferred the money to one of the accounts provided.
He said the kidnappers later increased their demand to N100m before reducing it to N20m following his pleas.
The negotiations continued, with the kidnappers subsequently demanding additional payments.
The husband said he eventually raised another N1.5m, bringing the total amount paid to about N1.8m, but the suspects continued demanding more money.
He said the prolonged ordeal caused tension between members of both families and forced him to keep his children away from home for their safety.
He eventually learnt that his wife had been rescued by the police.
Victim describes captivity as ‘very terrible’
Recounting her ordeal, Chinedu said the kidnappers entered her shop pretending to be customers before bringing out guns and abducting her.
She said she was taken through several boats before arriving at the location where she was held.
“There was like two, three days to be one month. And the place was very terrible, very, very terrible,” she said.
The victim said she was given food but sometimes refused to eat because of her emotional state.
She said she was not sexually assaulted or seriously beaten, although one of the kidnappers hit her once while she was praying.
Chinedu expressed gratitude to the police for rescuing her and prayed for the officers involved in the operation.
The police commissioner assured residents that the command would continue its efforts to dismantle kidnapping networks in the state and urged residents to provide useful information to security agencies.