The Enugu State Police Command has arrested three kidnappers notorious for terrorising some parts of the state.
Parading the suspects among other 12 suspects arrested for various offences at the police headquarters, on Tuesday, the police commissioner Ahmed Ammani, represented by the Command's spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, said that seven kidnapped victims were also rescued.
Ndukwe said that all 15 male suspects were arrested for various crimes ranging from armed robbery to kidnapping, rape, and murder.
Giving a breakdown of the arrests, the police spokesperson identified two of the arrested kidnappers as Sani Usman, 25 and Landi Usman, 30, adding that they are both from Sokoto State.
He said, "On 19/06/2023 at about 6 pm, the command received distress information on alleged kidnapping at Api-Opi, along Enugu/Opi/Nsukka Road.
“Consequently, police operatives serving in Umabor Division of the Command immediately mobilised to the scene and while combing the forest, they rescued a female victim (name withheld), who had escaped from the kidnappers.
"However, while still at the scene, the operatives sighted and arrested two (2) male suspects: Sani Usman, aged 25 and Landi Usman, aged 30, both from Sokoto State, whom the rescued victim identified as members of the kidnapping gang.
"The motorcycle they rode to the scene was subsequently recovered."
He added that the case had been transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Command, where ‘discreet investigation and tactical operational actions were going on’.
The police spokesman further disclosed that others were arrested at various locations in the state by operatives of the Command attached to different units.
He said, "These arrests led to the rescue of seven (7) kidnapped victims and the recovery of seven (7) firearms, two (2) motor vehicles, one (1) motorcycle, one (1) dagger, cash sum of N701,000.00 and other incriminating exhibits, in the separate operations carried out by police operatives of the Command, with support from other security forces and law-abiding citizens.
"Accordingly, operatives of Anti-Cultism Squad of the Command, on 26/06/2023 at about 2 am, acting on a tip-off, carried out a raid operation in a hotel (name withheld) along Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway and arrested one Ali Jubril, aged 25, a native of Kogi State.
"The suspect is reasonably suspected to be a member of a kidnapping gang, while the total sum of N701,000.00, which he could not give a satisfactory account of, and one (1) dagger, were recovered from him."
He added, "Also, acting on a tip-off, police operatives of the Command serving in Adani Police Division, in a Joint operation with troops of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Forest Guards and the Neighbourhood Watch Group, on 25/06/2023 at about 6 pm, rescued a woman and her child, alleged to have been kidnapped at Ngene-Ukwu, along Adani-Opanda Road."
Ndukwe, however, noted that the joint team was still on the trail of the suspected kidnappers.
In another case, Ndukwe said that operatives of the command, acting on credible information on an alleged attempted armed robbery on June 22, at about 1.30 pm, arrested one Danjuma Mohammed, 21, at New Gariki Cattle Market.
He said that through collaboration with the Neighbourhood Watch Group, one locally made pistol was recovered from him.