By Adeyanju Esther
The Enugu State Police Command arrestED of 123 suspects between July and August this year.
Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, shared this information on Thursday during a parade of some of the suspects at the state command headquarters. CP Kanayo Uzuegbu informed journalists that numerous incriminating exhibits were recovered during the operations. Many of the suspects have been arraigned and remanded in Nigerian Correctional Custodial Centres.
Additionally, the police rescued 19 abducted or kidnapped victims during this period, according to the report.
The crime summary report detailed the following recoveries: 15 AK-47 and assault rifles, 25 pump-action guns, 35 other firearms, 710 live ammunition of various calibres, 187 live cartridges, 17 motor vehicles, 11 tricycles, and 8 motorcycles.
CP Kanayo Uzuegbu also addressed rumours about a kidnapping near the Enugu State College of Health Technology, Oji-River. He clarified that the “four individuals, three of whom were not students, who were allegedly kidnapped on August 14, 2024, had been rescued and reunited with their families.”
CP Kanayo Uzuegbu announced that the suspects involved in the incident have been arrested and are currently being interrogated. The individual who spread false panic about the situation has been located and has apologised for the misinformation.
Additionally, plans by IPOB/ESN secessionist groups to attack police operatives and cause damage at 4-Corner on the Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway on August 18, 2024, were successfully thwarted by the police.
“The militants, wearing security forces uniforms and driving a stolen Lexus 350 Jeep, suddenly opened fire on the patrol team as they approached. The police responded with gunfire, disabling the Lexus Jeep and forcing the militants to escape in a stolen Toyota Camry, leaving the scene with various gunshot wounds. Unfortunately, a Special Constabulary who was controlling traffic on the road, which was under reconstruction, was killed. The patrol vehicle was also hit by bullets and caught fire. The two vehicles, which militants had forcibly appropriated from their proprietors under the pretence of secessionist protests aimed at causing social, economic, and psychological distress to the populace, have been recovered. Consequently, a coordinated effort by security operatives is now in pursuit of the perpetrators.”
Uzuegbu lauded the Enugu State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah, for its decisive and pragmatic measures, including the demolition of edifices and facilities used in harbouring and executing acts of abduction and kidnapping within the State. He urged the residents of Enugu State, especially landlords, hoteliers, and proprietors of incomplete structures, to exercise vigilance regarding those they permit into such properties to avoid harbouring criminals whose activities might precipitate the destruction of their properties.
In detailing recent apprehensions, the Police Commissioner noted that on August 21, 2024, at approximately 5 p.m., operatives from the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad recovered an AK-47 rifle in New Artisan, Enugu. This recovery resulted from a prompt response to reliable intelligence regarding suspicious individuals in the vicinity. Upon encountering the operatives, the suspects discharged their firearms, but the operatives retaliated effectively, compelling the assailants to flee with gunshot injuries, leaving behind the rifle. An ongoing discreet investigation seeks to apprehend the fugitives.
“Additionally, on August 19, 2024, around 1:30 a.m., a joint team of Tactical Police operatives dismantled a kidnapping gang’s hideout at New Artisan, arresting five suspects who are presently undergoing interrogation and contributing to further covert investigations to identify additional accomplices.
On August 15, 2024, at approximately 2 a.m., tactical and operational Police forces raided the stronghold of the proscribed IPOB/ESN elements at Aninwede Nkwubor, Emene, Enugu. The criminals, upon sighting the operatives, engaged in gunfire.
“The operatives, demonstrating superior firepower, neutralised two assailants while others escaped with various gunshot injuries. Seized were incriminating items, including firearms previously confiscated from security personnel. Ongoing discreet investigations aim to capture the remaining fugitives.”
Moreover, on August 17, 2024, at around 3:20 a.m., a combined team from the Awkunanaw Police Division and Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad apprehended the following suspects: Obumneme Amara, aged 26, from Ikwo LGA, Ebonyi State; Elom Chinedu (alias “Terry G”), aged 23; Sani Usman (alias “Gburugburu”), aged 27; and Onuh Emmanuel, aged 26, all from New Cattle Market, Awkunanaw, Enugu. The suspects were detained following a rapid response to credible information indicating their involvement in an armed robbery syndicate operating across Enugu metropolis. Further investigation is underway to apprehend their remaining associates.
Furthermore, on August 21, 2024, at about 2 p.m., operatives from the Independence Layout Police Division apprehended three male suspects and recovered a suspected stolen tricycle and a motor vehicle gearbox during routine patrols at Idume, New Phase 2, Independence Layout, Enugu. “The arrested individuals include: Mohammed Mohammed, aged 27, from Thinkers Corner, Enugu; Onyedikachi Okolo, aged 22; and Mohammed Idris Sani, aged 22, both from New Artisan, Enugu.
The Police Chief expressed gratitude to the law-abiding citizens of Enugu State for their support and urged them to remain vigilant, law-abiding, and to provide the police with reliable information to aid in eradicating crime and criminality within the State.