A foremost civil society-cum-human rights organisation in Nigeria, under the auspices of the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), has commended the Department of State Service (DSS) for preventing major kidnappings in Akwa Ibom during the ongoing Eid El-Kabir Sallah festivities.
The Centre in a press release signed by its director and secretary, Otuekong Franklyn Isong and Comrade Christopher Ekpo respectively, said the DSS smashed a sea pirate gang linked to the November 2024 kidnap of two Chinese nationals and a Nigerian staff of MarkSino quarry in Cross River State, which during that attack, the kidnappers reportedly shot dead a Police Inspector attached to the workers, and carted away his AK-47 rifle.
The CHRAN described the arrest by DSS as a significant breakthrough in the crackdown on criminals terrorising the state and the South-South zone.
The arrest of the four gang leaders, who were also reportedly linked to the kidnap of big business owners and prominent traditional rulers in Uyo, Eket, and Oron axis as well as other neighbouring states in the South South, for some time, highlighted the resolve of the DSS to secure Nigerians throught its sustained covert operations.
The source, the Centre, disclosed further that, during a covert operation at the weekend, the DSS arrested four suspected commanders of the gang with two AK-47 rifles and six fully-loaded magazines at their hideout in Oron local government area of Akwa Ibom State.
The Center quoted the security sources as saying that, “the gang members, according to preliminary security reports, invaded Akwa Ibom State, targeting to kidnap top politicians who attended the formal defection ceremony of His Excellency Governor Umo Eno from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), an event that coincided with the Eid El-Kabir holiday.
“The history of the operations of this notorious gang primarily involved targeting high-ranking expatriate staff of oil companies, high net worth business owners, and prominent traditional rulers across the South-South geo-political Zone,” the source asserted.
Commending the DSS for the feat and other strides in Akwa Ibom State, the CHRAN called on the Service not to relent in executing such covert operations as they are strategically needed to drastically reduce the protracted menace of sea piracy, kidnapping and other high-profile crimes in the country.
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