Police arrest suspected kidnapper, rescue 13 victims in Enugu

The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a suspected
kidnapper and rescued 13 persons held hostage in a successful raid.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe
disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Enugu.

Ndukwe said the command also recovered one locally made
pistol with two live cartridges, one metal toy pistol, two motorcycles and one
Toyota Hiase Bus with registration number MSA 657 XA.

He said that the operation was conducted at about 6 a.m.
following an intelligence report, adding that the Commissioner of Police, Mr
Ahmad Abdurrahman, detailed a team of operatives of the Puff Adder.

According to him, the police team traced the gang of
suspected kidnappers that was conveying 13 kidnap victims in a Toyota Hiase
bus.

“On sighting the operatives along Enugu-Markurdi Highway,
the kidnappers diverted and disappeared into Akomagbo Ubagaike Community in
Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state.

“At about 1 p.m. the operatives further traced them to their
hideout in a house belonging to one Chidi Ogbonna, popularly ”Egbe” in the said
Akomagbo Ubagaike Community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, where they
were holding the victims hostage.

“On sighting the operatives, the kidnappers took to their
heels, while the team succeeded to arrest a female member of the gang, named
Gloria Mnwanezi.

“The team rescued the 13 victims,’’ he said.

The police spokesman said that the commissioner further
ordered intensified manhunt of the fleeing members of the kidnap gang.

He advised people to be law-abiding citizens and report any
suspicious movements to authorities and cautioned them against harbouring
criminals within their domains.

“The command will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute
anyone found encouraging or perpetrating crime in the state.

“To be forewarned is to be forearmed, please,’’ he added.