From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
The police in Delta State on Saturday said they engaged suspected kidnappers and recovered one AK-47 rifle with a defaced breach number, two pump-action guns, one magazine, eight rounds of AR live ammunition, and 21 rounds of live cartridges.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement, noting that the suspects, who fled into the bush after a hot pursuit, had concealed the weapons under the engine compartment of their operational vehicle.
According to Edafe, the recovery followed a distress call made to the command’s control room on Wednesday, 27th November 2024, regarding a kidnapping incident along DLA Road, Asaba, the state capital.
Edafe stated that the police received information that four armed hoodlums operating in a Toyota Camry 2.4 model with registration number Enugu BLF 490 AA had kidnapped a male and a female victim (names withheld). Additionally, a Toyota Camry vehicle belonging to a woman had been taken by the hoodlums.
Following the tip-off, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, directed the command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad to ensure the arrest of the hoodlums and the rescue of the victims.
Edafe said the unit’s commander, CSP Labe Joseph, led operatives on an intelligence-driven operation and tracked the suspected kidnappers to Ezenei by the Asaba/Benin Expressway.
He explained that when the hoodlums spotted the police team closing in, they attempted to escape by speeding off and diverting to Oko Market Road.
“The police courageously pursued the hoodlums, forcing them to abandon their vehicles and flee into the nearby bush with bullet injuries,” Edafe said.
He added that efforts have been intensified to track the fleeing suspects and bring them to justice.