A joint security team has killed one member of a five-member kidnap gang in Ihiala, Ihiala local government area of Anambra State.
The security team comprising police operatives, military and Ihiala vigilantes also rescued a kidnap victim. The hoodlums were trying to escape with a black shuttle bus with registration number RSH 255 MS.
The public relations officer of the Anambra State Police Command (PPRO), the superintendent of police, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident, saying that it occurred on Monday night at Ihiala.
He said the security team detected the five-man gang because of the suspicious manner in which they drove.
He said that when the joint security team, which was on patrol, attempted to stop the hoodlums in their shuttle bus, they opened fire at the security team and that during the gun duel, one of the kidnap suspects was neutralised while four others escaped with severe bullet wounds.
SP Ikenga said further that when the four members of the hoodlums escaped into a nearby bush, abandoning their shuttle, the security operatives discovered inside the shuttle a blindfolded victim who they were carrying in the shuttle with his hands and legs tied, and his mouth sealed.
He said that the police team later rushed the victim to a hospital, where he was given first aid treatment.
The state police command image maker also disclosed the shuttle bus was later recovered and taken to the police station while the security team continued further operations in the area to ensure that the fleeing hoodlums were arrested to face the wrath of the law for their actions.
SP Ikenga said, “In the light of this development, the Command urges all proprietors of private and public hospitals to admit, but report any individual presented with bullet wounds or injuries of a suspicious nature to the nearest police station.
“This measure is critical to the ongoing effort to apprehend the fleeing suspects and prevent further escalation of criminal activities in the state.
“The command remains committed to maintaining security dominance through sustained patrols and targeted security operations in the state”, Ikenga assured.
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