Police bust kidnapping syndicate in Rivers, arrest five suspects

Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have successfully dismantled a kidnapping syndicate with the arrest of five suspects in the Oyigbo Local Government Area. The coordinated operation led to the apprehension of the individuals who have since confessed to their involvement in numerous abduction activities.

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The Rivers State Police Command has recorded another significant operational success with the arrest of five members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate during a coordinated operation in the Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The arrested suspects, identified by name and age, include Ezekiel Emmanuel (44), Chukwuma Mbanefor (51), Nicholas Diala (65), Ndubuisi Uwakwe (49), and Ifeanyi Nwakwo (51). During interrogation, they admitted to terrorizing residents and participating in several kidnapping operations across communities such as Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama, and Afam.

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Following the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Police Command, Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju, operatives of the command, divisional police station Oyigbo, arrested five members of the gang.

Commissioner of Police Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju stated that the successful operation aligns with the intelligence-driven policing strategy of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu. Adepoju emphasized the command's unwavering commitment to sustaining aggressive operations against kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery, and other violent crimes throughout the state.

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In the course of investigation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in the kidnapping and further admitted to participating in several kidnapping operations within the Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.

Adepoju assured the public that the police will relentlessly pursue, arrest, and bring criminals to justice, vowing that there will be no safe haven for criminal elements. The command urged residents to remain vigilant and continue providing credible information to aid in crime prevention and the apprehension of offenders.

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The suspects are Ezekiel Emmanuel (male, 44 years) from Benue State, Chukwuma Mbanefor (male, 51 years) from Anambra State, Nicholas Diala (male, 65 years) from Imo State, Ndubuisi Uwakwe (male, 49 years) from Abia State and Ifeanyi Nwakwo (male, 51 years) from Imo State.