The police in Enugu State, in Nigeria's South-east, have arrested 12 kidnappers. They collected $98,700 and N30.5 million as ransoms before killing a woman.
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Bitrus Giwa, shared this during a press briefing. He presented the suspects at the State Police Headquarters on Friday.
Mr Giwa said the kidnappers were caught through a mix of human intelligence and technical operations in various parts of Nigeria.
The police chief mentioned that the arrests happened on different dates in June, July, and August 2023. The locations included the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and states like Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, Kwara, and Taraba.
"Preliminary investigation shows that the suspects are part of a criminal gang operating in different areas of the country. They meet in Enugu State to plan their kidnapping operations before going back to their homes," he said.
He added that the gang has a member in Enugu who uses a tricycle to transport gang members, weapons, and other tools for their crimes. "Another member helps them avoid police and find good targets for their kidnappings," he stated.
But the police chief did not reveal the names of the suspects. Mr Giwa said the kidnappers confessed that they were involved in many recent and past kidnap cases in Enugu State. This includes the Enugu, Ugwuogo, Opi, Nsukka Road.
He explained that the gang kidnapped seven people in Obinaofia Community in Ezeagu Local Government Area on April 12, collecting N25 million as ransom. They also kidnapped a man in Mgbabuowa/Aguobuowa in Ezeagu Local Government Area on May 25, taking N5.5 million as ransom.
On May 9, the gang took two men from Obioma in Udi Local Government Area and received a ransom of $28,700. Sadly, they killed a female victim during this incident.
Mr Giwa stated that the kidnappers also took two more men along Eke, Ezinze Road in Udi Local Government Area on April 10, collecting $70,000 ransom.
"Further investigations show that the suspects laundered their crime proceeds. They invested in livestock and properties. They also spent lavishly and traveled abroad, including trips to Cameroon," he added.
During questioning, one suspect, who claimed to be from Taraba State, admitted they had done many kidnappings recently in Enugu. He said he made over N10 million from their crimes, and a friend got him into it.
Mr Giwa also updated the media on the kidnapping of a Catholic seminarian and another worshipper in Udi Local Government Area. This incident happened on August 2 when attackers entered St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, and took Chidera Igbo and Emmanuel Onwudi.
The victims were freed after a week when ransom was paid, and a security team later arrested the kidnappers. In his update, Mr Giwa said three suspects were arrested, and one was killed. Two more suspects were also caught in connection with this case.
The commissioner said these two suspects fled to Port Harcourt after the police pressure. They were found and arrested while trying to regroup with their gang. They had also taken another victim, who was released after paying N5 million.
The police recovered some weapons from the suspects. Mr Giwa listed the items as five AK-47 rifles, two pump-action guns, one homemade gun, 310 rounds of bullets, eight cartridges, and seven empty AK-47 magazines.
He said police would keep investigating to link the suspects to other kidnapping cases in and out of Enugu State. This will help find and arrest more members of the gang and recover more stolen items.
"When investigations are done, the suspects will be taken to court according to the law," he noted.
Mr Giwa said these arrests show how effective their intelligence work and operations have been. He urged Enugu State residents to help the police by sharing information about crime suspects.
He praised the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, for his leadership and support. He also thanked Governor Peter Mbah for his commitment to safety in the state.
"I commend other security agencies for their support and thank the public for their cooperation and timely information to the police," he concluded.
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