Anambra State Police neutralized a member of a notorious criminal gang and rescued two kidnap victims during a confrontation along the Agulu/Nnobi road.
According to a statement by the state police command’s spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the incident occurred on the evening of November 29, 2024. He explained that police operatives attached to a VIP convoy were attacked by armed assailants, prompting a swift response.
“Police operatives from the operations department, attached to a VIP in the state, demobilized one of the criminals and recovered a pump-action gun, five live cartridges, five machetes, two SUVs, and two pairs of desert shoes,” Ikenga stated.
The armed assailants, who were operating in a grey Lexus ES 330 and an ash Toyota Highlander, attacked the convoy unprovoked. However, the joint security team, including local vigilantes, responded effectively, forcing the criminals to flee into a nearby bush with gunshot wounds after abandoning their vehicles.
During the operation, two kidnap victims were rescued. Unfortunately, one of the victims later succumbed to injuries at the hospital, while the other is receiving treatment.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had been abducted on November 27 along the Ugwunwasike-Ogidi road in Idemili North. The kidnappers reportedly shot the hostages when they realized security operatives were closing in, abandoning them before escaping.
The police have intensified efforts to track down the fleeing gang members.