The Anambra Police Command has arrested two kidnap suspects, allegedly involved in the abduction of one Ijideofor Attama on May 14.
The command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement made available to Nigerian NewsDirect on Wednesday in Awka.
Ikenga stated that the suspects, Chukwudere Eze and Raphael Obasi, were arrested on Tuesday, May 17, following discreet investigation by the command on the matter.
He further stated that 32-year-old Attama, from Igboetiti area of Enugu, was reportedly kidnapped around 10p.m, while moving in his Rava four jeep on Okigwe Road.
He explained that the victim luckily escaped from the criminals’ den on May 17.
He added that the command’s operatives recovered the Toyota Sienna, being used by the five-member kidnap gang at the time they abducted their victim.
Ikenga stated that the victim reportedly escaped from his assailants at the time they were demanding N10 million ransom from his family.
He explained that the arrest of Eze and Obasi, aged 30 and 40, respectively, were made possible, following the victim’s successful escape from captivity.
The PPRO also stated that the Command had recovered some vehicles allegedly abandoned by hoodlums, who escaped from a gunbattle with a vigilance group around 4.30p.m on May 16 at Ifite Road, Awka.
He explained that the Command received a distress call and immediately dispatched its crack team to the area.
“The vigilance group engaged some hoodlums in a gun duel at Ifite Road, Awka and in a bid to flee the scene, they abandoned three of their vehicles.
“Unfortunately, during the encounter, four vigilance operatives sustained serious wounds,” he stated.
He listed the recovered vehicles to include one brown Lexus Jeep, black Toyota Corolla, with no registration number, and a brown Mercedes Benz, with Reg. No. AA 274 EYF.
Other recovered items include one automatic Pump Action gun, 30 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition, six live cartridges and one live SMG ammunition.
The PPRO quoted the Commissioner of Police, Mr Echeng Echeng, to have restated the command’s unwavering commitment to the fight against crime and criminality in the state.
He further quoted Echeng to have solicited the continuous support of the residents, especially in providing timely and relevant information to the police and other law enforcement agencies, toward crime reduction in the state.