Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested four suspected kidnappers allegedly responsible for a series of abductions that yielded about ₦9 million in ransom across several communities in the state.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the suspects were apprehended by police operatives attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit, Emohua Annex, following intelligence gathered during the investigation into the abduction of a female victim in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Port Harcourt.
According to her, the suspects were arrested at about 5:20 a.m. on Monday along the Ipo/Ozaha Farm Road while allegedly preparing to carry out another kidnapping operation.
Iringe-Koko identified the suspects as Usman Dan-Mama, 20, from Mubi in Adamawa State; Abdullahi Kabir, 27, from Damaturu, Yobe State; Idris Ismaila, 20, from Taraba State; and Mohammed Dalandi, 22, from Yobe State.
She explained that the arrest followed investigations into the kidnapping of Miss Chika Favour, who was abducted on February 25 while heading to her farm in Igwuruta community, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The police spokesperson said the victim was released on March 2 after her family reportedly paid a ransom of ₦3 million.
“Acting on credible intelligence, police operatives tracked and arrested the suspects while they were planning another kidnapping operation,” Iringe-Koko stated.
Items recovered from the suspects include a locally made pistol, a single-barrel cut-to-size gun, and 20 live cartridges.
During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to participating in several kidnapping operations in communities including Igwuruta-Ali, Omagwa, Ozaha, Ipo and Etche.
They reportedly admitted involvement in the abduction of an engineer, Okoro Osita, and his friend on February 12, as well as the kidnapping of Miss Sympathy Agu and Miss Chioma Njoku on January 31.
Police said the victims were all released after ransom payments of ₦3 million each.
Iringe-Koko added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the kidnapping syndicate still at large.
She reiterated the commitment of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olugbenga Adepoju, to tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes in Rivers State.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to provide useful information that could aid security agencies in combating criminal activities across the state.
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