Police arrest kidnapper, rescue abducted victims in Ebonyi
The Imo State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, on Wednesday, arrested one Nwauba Alex, 25, from the Ezza Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, during its patrol in Owerri.
The suspect was reportedly nabbed while robbing two residents at gunpoint near Aladinma Primary School, Owerri.
According to a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, on Thursday, one locally-made pistol, two rounds of live ammunition and torchlight were recovered from the suspect and his victims were rescued unharmed.
“Upon interrogation, the suspect admitted to the robbery and revealed that he purchased the shotgun from an individual in Ezza, Ebonyi State,” Okoye said.
The spokesperson added that efforts were underway to locate and arrest the gun manufacturers, who would be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law,” noting that the suspect would be charged in court once the investigation was completed.
In another development, police operatives arrested suspects said to belong to a kidnapping syndicate in the state.
The police also rescued a 26-year-old woman who they abducted from her residence in Obinze, Owerri West LGA, last week Sunday.
The arrested five suspects were Umaru Usman, 40, from Mauree in Sokoto; Tukur Yau, 25, from Dawakinkudur in Kano State; Musbau Sabo, 18, from Warsaw LGA in Kano State; Abdul Ibrahim, 30, from Sokoto State; and Jubrin Idris, 35, from Sokoto State.
Okoye said, “The suspects were found in possession of one pump-action gun, five cartridges, two daggers, a cutlass, and various criminal charms.”
He added that interrogation revealed that the suspects were members of a notorious kidnapping syndicate responsible for terrorising residents in Obinze, Avu, and surrounding areas.
The state Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, urged the officers not to relent in ensuring that crimes were reduced to their barest minimum in the state.
