The Rivers State Police Command has dismantled a suspected kidnapping syndicate operating in parts of the state, arresting five suspects during a coordinated operation in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
The command said the suspects were apprehended by operatives attached to the Oyigbo Divisional Police Station following intelligence-led operations aimed at curbing violent crimes across the state.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the Police Public Relations Officer, Blessing Agabe, said the arrests were made in compliance with the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju, to sustain aggressive operations against criminal elements.
The suspects were identified as Ezekiel Emmanuel, 44, from Benue State; Chukwuma Mbanefor, 51, from Anambra State; Nicholas Diala, 65, from Imo State; Ndubuisi Uwakwe, 49, from Abia State; and Ifeanyi Nwakwo, 51, from Imo State.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects confessed to their involvement in kidnapping activities and admitted participating in several abductions in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities within the state.
“The Rivers State Police Command has recorded another significant operational success with the arrest of five members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate during a coordinated operation in Oyigbo Local Government Area,” the statement said.
The command added that efforts were ongoing to track down and arrest other members of the criminal network still at large.
Commending the operatives for the breakthrough, Commissioner of Police Adepoju attributed the success to the operational directives and intelligence-driven policing strategy of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations against kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and other violent crimes across Rivers State.
The police commissioner warned that there would be no hiding place for kidnappers and other criminal elements, stressing that the command would continue to pursue and bring offenders to justice.
He also urged residents to remain vigilant and support security agencies with credible and timely information that would aid crime prevention and the arrest of criminals, assuring the public of the command’s resolve to safeguard lives and property across the state.
