Enugu Police Command Rescues 28 Kidnap Victims, Arrests 10 Suspects in Coordinated Operations
The Enugu State Police Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, has successfully rescued 28 kidnapped victims and arrested 10 male suspects in a series of coordinated operations across the state. The operations also led to the recovery of firearms, ammunition, cash, vehicles, motorcycles, and various other exhibits.
According to the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, several of the victims were rescued on May 17, 2025, by operatives of the Umumba Police Division working alongside the Neighbourhood Watch, Forest Guards, community members, and personnel from the 9th Mile Division.
On the same day, officers from the 9th Mile Division swiftly responded to a distress call, where they rescued and rearrested a yet-to-be-identified male suspect from an irate mob.
The suspect, along with three accomplices, had attempted to abduct a woman who managed to raise an alarm. The woman was abandoned by the fleeing suspects. The apprehended suspect, who sustained injuries from the mob’s attack, was immediately taken to the hospital for medical attention.
In a related development, operatives from the Okpuje Police Division, in synergy with the Neighbourhood Watch and Forest Guards, carried out a strategic bush-combing operation in a forest area bordering Okpuje in Enugu State and Odolu in Kogi State.
During the operation, officers intercepted two men in possession of ₦150,000 and ₦70,000 in cash—allegedly ransom payments—alongside food items including loaves of bread and drinks meant for the abductors.
The rescue team reportedly encountered armed resistance from the kidnappers but overpowered them with superior firepower. The suspects fled with gunshot wounds, abandoning their captives and a pump-action gun with two live cartridges. All rescued victims were unharmed, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing criminals.
SP Ndukwe further revealed that on May 14, 2025, at approximately 5:30 a.m., operatives from Igbo-Eze North Division, working jointly with military personnel and the Neighbourhood Watch, rescued 21 kidnap victims in Amaka-Okpodu community, Kogi State.
The victims—some of whom were returning from a traditional marriage ceremony—were reportedly kidnapped on May 10, 2025, along the Iyionu-Aguibeje Road in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area by masked armed men.
Following credible intelligence, five male suspects were arrested in connection with the abduction, and three firearms were recovered. Authorities also retrieved a minibus and four motorcycles that had been used by the victims prior to their abduction.
In another breakthrough, on May 13, 2025, around 9:45 p.m., the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad rescued another victim along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and recovered his Toyota Camry.
A white Toyota Corolla with registration number ENU 703 LP—used by the suspects—along with a Lexus 330 SUV abandoned at the scene in Premier Layout, Independence Layout, Enugu, were also recovered.
SP Ndukwe affirmed that operations to track and arrest the fleeing kidnappers are actively underway.