Five suspected kidnappers have been apprehended by the Rivers State Police Command following a joint operation carried out in the Oyigbo Local Government Area.
Operatives attached to the Oyigbo Divisional Police Station carried out the arrests on the instruction of the state’s Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju.
This was made known in a press statement released on Thursday by the Command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe.
According to the statement, the suspects are 44-year-old Ezekiel Emmanuel, 51-year-old Chukwuma Mbanefor, 65-year-old Nicholas Diala, 49-year-old Ndubuisi Uwakwe, and 51-year-old Ifeanyi Nwankwo.
Agabe stated that upon questioning, the suspects admitted to their roles in kidnapping and disclosed that they had taken part in multiple kidnap operations carried out within the Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
She noted that the manhunt for the remaining members of the gang is still underway.
According to the Commissioner of Police, the successful operation is a direct outcome of the intelligence-driven policing approach and operational guidelines put in place by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu.
He restated the Command’s resolve to keep up forceful, intelligence-based operations targeting kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery, and other violent offences throughout Rivers State.
The Commissioner cautioned that, “there will be no safe haven for kidnappers or other criminal elements, as the Command will relentlessly pursue, arrest, and ensure they are brought to justice.”
He reassured residents that the Command remains firmly dedicated to safeguarding lives and property across the state.
He called on citizens to “remain vigilant and continue to provide credible and timely information that will assist the Police in preventing crime and apprehending criminal elements.”