Police apprehend six persons suspected of kidnapping more than N2.3 million in ransom

The Delta State Police Command has detained six individuals suspected of kidnapping and recovered over N2.3 million in ransom paid by their victims.

On Thursday, Commissioner of Police for Delta State, CP Abaniwanda Olufemi, announced this development while presenting 16 suspects involved in various criminal activities. Olufemi highlighted the command’s significant achievements under his leadership and outlined plans to enhance police visibility and conduct raids on criminal hideouts across all 25 local government areas.

According to Olufemi, the arrest was made based on reliable intelligence. Police operatives from the Ebrumede Division, during a patrol, intercepted a tricycle with six passengers. When the suspects saw the police, they attempted to flee, but the operatives pursued them and made the arrests. A search of the tricycle revealed N2,344,000 in ransom money and several suspected stolen phones.

Further investigation revealed that the phones belonged to kidnapping victims, and the recovered money was part of the ransom paid for their release.

Additionally, Olufemi reported that the anti-kidnapping squad conducted a sting operation in the Umunede forest area, leading to the rescue of two individuals who had been abducted along the Asaba-Benin Expressway. The kidnappers, realizing that the police were closing in, abandoned their victims and escaped.

Olufemi also expressed concern over the prevalence of hard drugs in the state. During a stop-and-search operation on the Asaba-Agbor Expressway, the Dragon Patrol team stopped a 39-year-old man, Jammed Abdulahi Shola, driving a green Toyota vehicle. A search of the vehicle uncovered 320 packs of codeine, 125 sachets of tramadol, and other large quantities of hard drugs.