The Delta State Police Command has arrested five suspected kidnappers and recovered a N5 million ransom payment, while six other suspected kidnappers were killed in a gun battle with security operatives in separate operations across the state.
In a statement on Tuesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said operatives of the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad, led by CSP Godwin Osadolor, on July 12, tracked suspected kidnappers to their hideout in Ogwashi-Uku, headquarters of Oshimili North Local Government Area.
A suspect, identified as Sanusi Abdulahi, was arrested with N5 million believed to be part of a ransom collected from one of their victims.
The police said preliminary investigations revealed the gang was allegedly behind multiple kidnappings in Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku, Obulu-Okiti, Isele-Uku, Isele-Asagba, and most recently the abduction of a young woman in Ogwashi-Uku on July 9.
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The statement added that Abdulahi led the police to his gang’s hideouts in Second Deputy and Oko, both in Asaba, where four other gang members were arrested.
It revealed that in another operation on July 9, along the Patani-Ughelli Expressway near the Unenurhei axis, operatives of the CP’s Special Assignment Team raided the hideout of a notorious kidnapping syndicate.
The suspects, including Solomon Danisco, alias Picolo, Nelson Jacob, Oruma Saturday, Olise Jude, Precious Urhobowin, and Whisky Rufus, alias Asawana from Ewu community, engaged the police in a fierce gunfight.
The police said during the gun fight, six of the suspects died from gunshot wounds, while two others are receiving treatment in the hospital.
Items recovered from the suspects at the scene are four locally made firearms and 19 rounds of live cartridges.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities through the following hotlines: 08036684974, 08114895600, and 08025666914.
The state Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, praised the officers for their commitment and reiterated the command’s determination to rid Delta State of criminal elements.
