Kehinde Fajobi
The Anambra State Police Command has thwarted a kidnapping attempt along Agulu/Nnobi Road, killing one suspect in a gunfight while others fled with injuries.
State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday, noting it occurred on Friday evening.
“Police operatives from the Operations Department of the Command and attached to a VIP in the state on 29/11/2024 by 8:30 pm along Agulu/Nnobi road, demobilised one of the criminal elements in the state and recovered one pump action gun, five live cartridges, five machetes, two SUV jeeps, and two pairs of desert shoes,” Ikenga said.
According to him, the attackers, armed and using a Lexus ES 330 and a Toyota Highlander, launched an unprovoked attack on a police convoy but were repelled.
“The operatives resisted the armed men operating in a grey-coloured Lexus ES 330 with Plate No: ACA 551 MA and an ash-coloured Toyota Highlander with Plate No: SMK 544, who attacked their convoy unprovoked,” the statement read.
The swift response by the Joint Security Team, comprising police and AVG operatives, led the assailants to abandon their vehicles and escape into nearby bushes.
Ikenga added, “Meanwhile, the operatives have sustained operations in the area aimed at arresting the fleeing members. Members of the public and residents of the area have also been called upon to assist the Command with information in this regard.”
In a separate operation, the Joint Security Team, including police and vigilante groups, rescued kidnap victims in Dunukofia Local Government Area.
Ikenga said the team responded to a distress call along Ukwulu Road, where abductees were found after being shot by their captors.
“Preliminary information shows that the armed men abducted the victims on 27/11/2024 by 7 am along Ugwunwasike-Ogidi in Idemili North Local Government Area of the State,” he explained.
The kidnappers reportedly abandoned the victims and fled after realising they were being pursued.
“The culprits shot the abductees when they observed that they were being trailed by the security operatives, abandoned them in the vehicle and fled the scene,” Ikenga said.
He added, “Meanwhile, the Joint Security Team have secured the victims and rushed them to the hospital for medical attention.
“However, while one of them was responding to treatment, the other was sadly confirmed dead by the doctors on duty. The vehicle has also been recovered.”
The police assured the public of continued efforts to apprehend the suspects and restore safety in the region.
“Further development shall be communicated, please,” Ikenga stated.