Police arrest suspected kidnappers in Anambra

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers, rescued their victim and recovered their operational vehicle in Ogbunka, Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.

The victim, identified as Ijideofor Attama, from Enugu State, was kidnapped on Saturday about 10 pm along the Nnewi road while driving in his Rava 4 Jeep.

In a statement on Wednesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed that the suspects were arrested following a distress call by their victim who escaped from the den of the kidnappers.

While restating the command’s unwavering commitment to the fight against crime and criminality in the state, Ikenga called for continuous support, especially through timeous information to the Police and other law enforcement agencies.

He said, “Anambra State Police operatives, on 17/5/2022 rescued a kidnap victim, one Ijideofor Attama aged 32yrs ‘M’ from Igboetiti of Enugu State.

“Mr Attama was abducted on 14/5/2022 at about 10pm along Nnewi road in his Rava 4 jeep, by a gang of five armed men operating with a Toyota Sienna vehicle, with Registration number KGE 117 PZ Imo State, ash colour and whisked away to an unknown destination.

“The kidnap gang were in fact already asking for N10m ransom from the victim’s family but fortunately, the victim escaped from where he was kept and alerted the security guards in the area. The police operatives where also contacted and they immediately came to his rescue.
“Following the successful rescue of the victim, the police operatives arrested two of the suspects, one Chukwudere Eze, aged 30years, ‘M’ of Ogbunka in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State and Raphael Obasi aged 40years, ‘M’ of Arodizuogu in Imo State. The operatives also recovered a brown Toyota Sienna.”

“In another development on 16/5/2022, at about 4:30pm, the Command, while responding to a distress call on the attack on the vigilante office, engaged some hoodlums in a gun duel along Ifite road, Awka and in a bid to flee from the Police operatives, the gunmen abandoned three of their vehicles one brown Lexus Jeep, black Toyota Corolla, without registration number and a brown Mercedes Benz with registration number AA 274 EYF.

“Unfortunately, during the encounter, four vigilante operatives sustained fatal wounds. The Police also recovered one automatic Pump action gun, thirty rounds of of AK-47 live ammunition, six live cartridges and one live SMG ammunition

“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, has restated the Command’s unwavering commitment in the fight against crime and criminality in Anambra and calls for continuous support, especially through timeous information to the Police and other law enforcement agencies.”