by Rachel Ogbu

Five members of a notorious kidnapping syndicate have finally been arrested by the Delta State Police Command.

On Monday, Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba said in a statement that “the members of the kidnapping syndicate had been terrorising Warri/Ughelli areas of the state in recent times”.

Aduba revealed that officers first hunted down and caught one Prince Maku and Goodluck Igbo Oghre. The Special anti-crime patrol found N920, 000 neatly packaged in a small handbag with the suspects and during interrogation, the suspects confessed that the N920, 000 was a ransom paid by a kidnap victim and exposed other gang members which included Timothy Akpofure, Moses Uba and Ogutua Nanapore Sunday.

“Sequel to the revelation made by the suspects that they belong to a 20-man kidnapping syndicate responsible for some series of kidnapping/armed robbery incidents within Ughelli/Warri areas, part of which was the kidnapping of one Daddy Bakery and that of a woman after the Army checkpoint at Osubi of which the paid ransom was recovered, a team of anti-kidnapping detectives booked and left with the suspects with the intention of effecting the arrest of other members of the gang.”

[READ: Federal Ministry of Kidnapping: “Over 20 lecturers, relations abducted in Delta university” ]

“The team of the detectives however ran into an ambush suspected to be laid by the arrested suspects’ accomplices, and in the gun duel that ensued, the five suspects suffered fatal gunshots.

“The five suspects’ operational bases have been identified and, with the full ascent of the state government, marked for total demolition.”

According to reports, on executing a search warrant in the house and premises of the arrested suspects, two AK 47 riffles and four magazines, each loaded with 35 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, were recovered from them.

The Punch reports:

Meanwhile, the Police commissioner has warned landlords and tenants in Delta state, who allowed their houses to be used as operational bases of kidnappers, to turn a new leaf and report themselves to the Divisional Police Officer within their locality or make distress call to 08036684974, 08125273010 or 08075390753 for useful information to the command on activities of kidnappers in the state.

According to the CP, remarkable successes were made within the week, adding that three armed robbery suspects — Ossai Azubuike, Kobvana Osmond and Amaechi Chigwe — were also arrested on a tip-off at Umuaji community.

He said, “Items recovered from the suspects included a locally made double barrel pistol. The victim of the armed robbery incident has identified the suspects as investigation continues”.