The Rivers State Police Command on Wednesday said it has made a significant breakthrough in its sustained efforts to combat kidnapping and other criminal activities within the state.
This follows the successful arrest of two suspects involved in the kidnapping of a female victim and three others, which occurred on January 19, 2026, at Elele Waterside in Etche Local Government Area.
A statement issued by the spokesperson of the command, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, said operatives of the command attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit, Emohua Annex, intercepted and arrested the suspects along the Ozuzu/Apara Link Road in Etche Local Government Area, on January 22, 2026.
The suspects were identified as Abdullahi Ibrahim of Avara Local Government Area in Nasarawa State and Mohammed Hashim of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area in Bauchi State.
“Upon conducting a search of the suspects, they were found in possession of the sum of ₦2,383,000.00, as part of the ransom paid by the victims’ families.
“During preliminary interrogation, suspects confessed to the crime and further highlighted their involvement in a series of kidnappings, including the abduction of two other female victims from Akpoku Community, Etche Local Government Area, on January 8, 2026,” the statement added.
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The statement said the gang’s criminal activities had led to the tragic killing of a youth member of the community who attempted to pay a ransom of N3.8 million to the kidnappers on January 13, 2026.
It further said the arrested suspects led police operatives to their criminal hideouts, where the operatives were met with strong resistance from other members of the gang, and the suspects were gunned down in a fierce gun battle that ensued, while others escaped into the nearby bushes with varying degrees of bullet wounds.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects, according to the police, include one pump action gun and the sum of N2.383 million.
Meanwhile, the command added that it is intensifying efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects who are currently at large.
