The police in Enugu State have apprehended five suspected kidnappers, rescuing rescued their victim in the process.
The police revealed that the suspects were busted on Saturday by operatives of the Nkanu West Division through a well-coordinated assault on their hideout located at the Amakatanga axis of Agbani, in the Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, said the suspects were Kingsley Nwafor, 23; Chukwu Ebuka, 28; and Miriam Oguejiofor, all residing in Aba, Abia State; as well as Nelson Morris, 24, from Owerri, Imo State; and Ikechukwu Onwuabueke, 26, a resident in Onitsha, Anambra State.
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The police spokesman said the suspects recently abducted one Anthony Okeke, 46, along the St. Michael’s Road Aba, Abia State, and took him to their hideout in Enugu, where they began ransom negotiation with his family.
Amaraizu stated, “It was gathered that the female gang member, Miriam Oguejiofor, had contacted and lured their victim to Agbani in Enugu State with details of a business venture to be executed by him. When the victim got to Agbani, the suspects surfaced and pretended to be the business associates of Miriam.
“They took him to their hideout located inside a lodge at the Amakatanga axis of Agbani, where they kept him naked and demanded N10m from his relations. After several negotiations, they later reduced the ransom to N5m but before the ransom could be paid, our operatives acting on intelligence information swooped on them at their hideout in the early hours of February 2, 2019, and rescued the victim unhurt.”
Amaraizu noted that full-scale investigation had commenced into the incident, adding that the suspects were cooperating with the operatives in their investigation.