The operatives of the Imo State Police Command have arrested nine suspected kidnappers during a raid of their hideouts in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area and other parts of the state.
They also rescued two of their victims unhurt.
The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, CSP Michael Abattam disclosed this in a statement dated May 7, 2022.
Abattam gave the names of the suspects as Obinna Onuoha, 35 years, and Igbokwe Joseph, 35 years, both natives of Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of Imo State; Tochi Chilak, 27 years, a native of Ezeala Ihitte in Aboh Mbaise LGA of Imo State and Sunday Richard, 32 years, a native of Ikom in Cross River State.
Others are, Comfort Ogbo, 35 years, a native of Gwer West in Naka LGA of Benue State, Igbo Simeon, 33 years, a native of Gwer West in Naka LGA of Benue State and Cyril Iwuagwu, 65 years, a native of Umegwu Mpam in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of Imo State.
The rest are Nkechinyere Ibe, 35 years, a native of Umuoyoka Ihitte Aforukwu in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of Imo State and Ebo Ubochi, 26 years, a native of Umuaraku in Ehime Mbano LGA of Imo State
According to him, the police raided the hideouts of the hoodlums following a report of the kidnapping of one Dominic Chukwuma and Silas Nnawubia respectively, received by the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit on 30th April, 2022.
He added that the suspects have confessed to the crime of kidnapping and revealing how they escaped from Imo Correctional Centre Jail break of 5th of April, 2021.
Abattam said the suspect also revealed that after their escape, they got a safe hideout in Ahiazu Mbaise, formed a kidnapping syndicate with their hideouts in strategic areas in the state.
He equally informed that the suspects confessed being the ones responsible for most of the deadly kidnapping incidents recorded in the state.
Abattam further disclosed that the police on searching the kidnappers’ hideouts recovered one AK47 rifle, breech number 1142 with eighty-four rounds of live ammunition, four locally made pistols, forty-six rounds of live cartridges, one Toyota 4Runner SUV vehicle belonging to the victim, multiple banks ATM cards stolen from their victims and the personal belongings of the victim.
The police spokesman said the victims have since been reunited with their family members and aggressive manhunt is on to arrest the remaining members of the syndicate at large.
