Police Kill Two Notorious Kidnappers in Rivers

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have killed two notorious kidnappers terrorising the Emuoha Local Government Area axis of the state.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, who disclosed this yesterday, said the suspects were killed during a gun battle with the operatives in a forest in the area.

The Police spokesperson also revealed that four persons blindfolded and sighted at the kidnappers den, during search were rescued after spending days in captivity, adding that one of the killed suspects, Sunday Amadi, is a leader of the gang, who had been in a wanted list of the Chairman of the LGA on N2million bounty.

One of the victims, a commercial driver, revealed that “I was on one of my routine trips back to Port Harcourt when I noticed an obstruction on the road caused by a huge tree trunk blocking the road.

“I was driving a Sienna, and an Audi car was in front of me and I was contemplating reversing, when some men emerged from the bush and fired bullets at the tyres of my vehicle and that of the Audi.

“The men, numbering six, asked us to lie on the ground and later grabbed us and took us through strange bush paths as we noticed a Police van approaching. The Police shot several times, but we have been taken too deep into the forest”.

The victim explained further on how the kidnappers tortured them and extracted funds from them via their ATM cards and from their families.

“They removed the N800,000 from my accounts and N1,900million from another victim. Throughout our stay, the kidnappers only gave us tiny pieces of bread and sachet water.”

The victims also disclosed that they were blindfolded all through their travail.

The Police spokesperson said: “The Policemen on patrol on the day of the kidnapping did not stop searching for the victims and were pleased to discover the camp of the kidnappers on the third day of searching. They proceeded to conduct prompt but thorough surveillance to eliminate the incidence of collateral damage before engaging the criminals.

“In the confrontation that ensued, two of the kidnappers were killed, including the leader of the gang, Sunday Amadi (aka Occasion), who had a N2 million bounty placed on him by the Chairman of Emuoha Local Government Area,” he said.

Iringe-Koko told journalists that one of the victims had been taken to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital after sustaining injuries from the kidnappers.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Tunji Disu, has commended the men of the Command for their professionalism and persistence in bringing criminals to their knees.

Disu stated that the State Police Command under his watch would stop at nothing to rid the state of criminals. He assured the rescued victims of proper post-rescue care from the Command.

After visiting the wounded victim at the hospital, CP Disu expressed the readiness of the men of the Police to flush out every kidnap syndicate or gang in the state.

He further reiterated his assurance to River people to enjoy the yuletide freely as the Rivers State command has escalated patrols in the state and will not back down on the resolve to make Rivers State crime-free.