By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
As part of sustained efforts to rid Enugu State of unrepentant violent criminals, operatives of the State Police Command, under the directive of Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, have successfully rescued 28 kidnapped victims, arrested 10 male suspects, and recovered firearms, ammunition, cash, vehicles, motorcycles, and other exhibits in multiple coordinated operations.
In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Enugu State Command, it noted that on May 18, 2025, at about 6:30 p.m., operatives attached to Umumba Police Division, working with the Neighbourhood Watch, Forest Guards, and community members, promptly rescued two male and two female victims kidnapped along Umumba-Ndiuno-Aguoba Road in Ezeagu Local Government Area (LGA) following a tactical bush-combing operation.
Four male suspects linked to the crime were immediately arrested and are currently assisting with ongoing investigations.
On the same day, at about 6:34 p.m., operatives from 9th Mile Division swiftly responded to a distress call, then rescued and rearrested a yet-to-be identified male suspect from a violent mob.
The suspect and three others had attempted to kidnap a woman, who raised an alarm and was abandoned by the suspects.
The rearrested suspect, who was severely beaten by the mob, was taken to hospital for treatment and is being investigated further.
Similarly, operatives from Okpuje Police Division of the Command, in collaboration with Neighbourhood Watch and Forest Guards, on May 17, 2025, carried out a strategic bush-combing operation in a forest bordering Okpuje in Enugu State and Odolu in Kogi State.
During the operation, they intercepted two men found with ₦150,000.00 and ₦70,000.00 respectively, intended for ransom payments, as well as loaves of bread and drinks menacingly requested by kidnappers.
Upon further incursion, the team encountered armed resistance from the kidnappers but responded with superior firepower, forcing them to flee with gunshot wounds and abandon the victims, a pump-action gun, and two live cartridges.
The victims were rescued unhurt and the exhibits recovered. Efforts to track down the fleeing suspects are ongoing.
Earlier, on May 14, 2025, at about 5:30 a.m., operatives from Igbo-Eze North Division, with the military and Neighbourhood Watch, rescued 21 kidnapped victims in Amaka-Okpodu community in Kogi State.
The victims, some of whom returning from a traditional marriage ceremony, had been allegedly abducted on May 10, 2025, along Iyionu-Aguibeje Road in Igbo-Eze North LGA by hooded armed men.
Five male suspects were subsequently arrested following credible intelligence, and three firearms also recovered.
Additionally, a minibus and four motorcycles used by the travelling victims were earlier recovered from the scene of the crime.
In another operation, on May 13, 2025, at about 9:45 p.m., operatives of the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, acting on credible information, rescued a kidnapped victim along the Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway and recovered his Toyota Camry vehicle.
A white Toyota Corolla car with registration number ENU 703 LP used by the suspects and a Lexus 330 jeep abandoned at the kidnapping scene in Premier Layout, Independence Layout, Enugu, were also recovered. Operations to hunt down the fleeing suspects are ongoing.
Giwa commended the police operatives, the collaborating security agents and law-abiding community members for their efforts in making the operations successful.
He reaffirmed the Command’s avowed commitment to make Enugu State safer and more secure by routing out violent criminals and their activities, urging residents to remain law-abiding, vigilant, and cooperative with police and other law enforcement authorities.
