No fewer than 27 kidnappers including members of the ‘Auto Pilot’, popularly known as unknown gunmen have been killed in Enugu State in the last two weeks, the police have disclosed.
Auto Pilot is a notorious breakaway faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) loyal to the Finland based fugitive, Simon Ekpa.
The members of the group, who have been terrorising Enugu and its environs for a long time, were gunned down in gun duel with security operatives at various locations across the state, a police detective told our correspondent.
Speaking at Ugwuogo Nike-Opi Road in the early hours of Wednesday, a Police Superintendent, SP Onochie Ezeh, who led a joint security operation to rescue some kidnap victims, disclosed that the operation led to the killing of a 7-man-gang kidnappers at Ogbeke Nike where the kidnappers used a large poultry farm to hide their hostages.
He explained that the Wednesday’s successful operation was part of the sustained operations in the state to flush out criminals operating from other neighbouring states, including kidnappers, unknown gunmen and other unscrupulous elements.
“We were on the trail of these kidnappers for more than three months now. They had been operating within this axis where they kidnapped their victims and kept them at a large poultry farm at Ogbeke Nike until ransoms are paid.
“So, on a tip-off from members of the public who suspected the strange movements in the area and the accounts of some of the victims of these criminals, we swung into action. On sighting us, these men of the underworld opened fire on my men, and we quickly retaliated and overpowered them with our superior firepower,” he stressed.
Speaking further, Ezeh disclosed that the combined security task force, set up by Governor Mbah, as a tactical squad against kidnappings and activities of unknown gunmen, had recorded milestones in policing the state and flushing out criminal elements.
“This is a gallant crack squad with the mandate to eliminate every form of threat in the state. We have recorded huge successes over the past months. You know our role is not to rush to the media to tell our story but to ensure that every citizen and resident of the state has peace.
“I can tell you that we have already neutralized over 7 criminal gangs who were mostly kidnappers and unknown gunmen. We are going after them. We are taking the battle to their doorsteps because the governor said we should not come back home if we don’t completely rid the state of threats.
“So we are on it. In fact, during our operations, we identified many criminal hideouts that serve as rogue premises where kidnapped victims and dangerous weapons are kept. These places include New Artisan Market, Akwuke community, Akegbe-Ugwu, Four Corners, Awgu, Mgbowo, Emene, Eke and Afa in Udi and some parts of Isi Uzo local government.
“During rescue operations, we were able to neutralise over 30 of the kidnappers and recovered guns and valuables,” the police chief added.
Meanwhile, residents in the state have called on Governor Mbah to go beyond arresting and hunting down the kidnappers to invoking his power as the chief security officer of the state through the demolition of all the properties harbouring the kidnappers.
They stressed that the law empowers the state government to demolish buildings used for kidnap activities, including hotels and private facilities.
Addressing journalists in Enugu, a senior lawyer, Chief Ani Iheanacho, said the state has an existing criminal law which was amended in 2016 to accommodate a new section which empowers the governor to pull down structures used for kidnapping.
“We cannot continue like this. Yes, beyond going after the criminals, the governor must show both political and legal courage to go after properties used as hostage holding cells and bring them down irrespective of who the owner or owners are.
“The state must deter these criminals and those enabling their access to such buildings. That is what justice is all about. It’s justice to the kidnap victims, justice to the family of the victims, and justice to the society at large,” the legal practitioner submitted.
Narrating her ordeal, one of the rescued kidnap survivors, Dr Kate Pamela, said she was traumatised by the ugly experiences at the hands of the kidnappers.
“Each time I pass through that poultry, I feel I have been denied justice by still allowing it to operate. They kidnapped us and kept us there for five days. They even killed two of the victims because their families could only afford N10 million each against the N50 million demanded. Notwithstanding that I was able to identify the bodies of three of the kidnappers when they were killed, I still feel that the area should be cleared.
“Government must ensure justice by turning that place to a landfill,” Dr Pamela added.
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