Police Kill Suspected Kidnaper, Rescue Victim In Anambra

A suspected member of a kidnap gang has been killed by operatives of a joint anti-crime squad of the Anambra State Police Command.

Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga who confirmed the incident in a statement, said the suspect was neutralised during a gun duel about 8:30pm along Agulu-Nnobi Road in Anaocha local government area on Friday.

He said that the joint security team which also comprised of some operatives of the Anambra State Vigilant Group (AVG) while escorting a VIP was engaged in a gun duel by a gang of hoodlums operating in two SUV vehicles.

Ikenga gave the vehicles’ identities as a grey-coloured Lexus ES330 with registration number ACA 551 MA, and, ash-colured Toyota Highlander with registration number SMK 544.

He said that the security team, however, overpowered the hoodlums, killing one of them while they recovered a pump action gun, five live cartridges, five machetes, the two SUVs and two pairs of desert shoes.

The state police image maker added that some of the gang members escaped with bullet wounds into a bush in the area.

The Command spokesman said the security team had since sustained operation in the area to arrest the fleeing members of the gang.

He urged members of the public, especially residents of the area to help the command with useful information that could help it in arresting the hoodlums.

In the same vein, another joint security team attached to Dunukofia Police Division in Dunukofia local government rescued two abductees somewhere at Ukwulu community of Idemili-North local government area following a distress call.

He said that the victims were abducted at about 7am on Wednesday somewhere along Ugwunwasike-Ogidi Road.

Ikenga, however, said after one of the rescued abductees who was shot at by the hoodlums was later confirmed dead by a medical personnel at a hospital where the police took them for treatment.

The victim was shot when the kidnappers noticed that they were being trailed by the police, according to Ikenga.

He said the kidnappers later abandoned their two victims as well as their operational vehicle and later fled when they noticed that they were being trailed by the police.

The police spokesperson who disclosed that the police have recovered the suspects’ operational vehicle, stressed that operations have been sustained to track down the fleeing criminals to face the full weight of the law.