Operatives from the Anambra State Police Command have apprehended five suspects in separate operations related to alleged kidnapping, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms.
During these operations, police recovered a locally made Beretta pistol and a vehicle believed to be stolen.
In a statement issued on Sunday, SP Tochukwu Ikenga provided further details about the successful operations: “In the early hours of 22nd February 2025, police operatives from the Special Anti-Cultism Squad raided a criminal hideout in Igbariam, arresting Miracle Chukwunoso, Chinweze Charles, and Bonaventure Chigozie, all males aged between 20 and 26. The team also seized a locally fabricated Beretta pistol from them.
“The suspects were positively identified by victims who had been attacked and stripped of their personal belongings. On 21st February 2025, a total of Two Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand Naira (#254,000) was withdrawn from one victim’s account along Otoko, Igbariam.
“In a separate incident, police operatives from the 3-3 Police Divisional Headquarters responded swiftly to a kidnapping report on 16th February 2025 at 2 pm, rescuing the victim near Ejison Fuel Station along the Enugu/Onitsha Expressway.
“As part of the investigation, the operatives arrested two suspects (names withheld) in an effort to apprehend additional gang members and recovered an ash-coloured Toyota Corolla, allegedly belonging to the victim, from a mechanic workshop in the 3-3 area.
“The victim reported that the armed men had forcefully withdrawn over One Million Naira (#1,000,000) from his account during his captivity and had also stolen his two mobile phones, valued at Eight Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira (#820,000).
Ikenga noted that all suspects would be charged in court upon the conclusion of the investigations and credited the success of these operations to the ongoing Security Operational Review and safety initiatives implemented in the state by Commissioner of Police CP Ikioye Orutugu, fwc MNIPS PhD.