Police nab four suspected kidnappers and save victim in Rivers

The Rivers State Police Command has announced that its officers have taken down a kidnapping group. They arrested four suspects and rescued a victim in the process.

The suspects allegedly kidnapped a woman while she was serving customers at her shop in Aluu community, Ikwerre Local Government Area. They took her away to an unknown location.

According to the police, the woman was saved after an operation by the command. They also recovered the vehicle used by the suspects.

The arrests happened after a distress call from the victim's husband, who is simply known as Mr Ikechukwu. His call led to an immediate police response.

The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, shared this in a statement released in Port Harcourt on Thursday. Agabe, who is an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said all four suspects admitted to the crime during questioning.

The statement said, "The Rivers State Police Command has recorded another major breakthrough in its fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes with the arrest of four suspected members of a notorious kidnapping syndicate, the safe rescue of the victim and the recovery of the gang’s operational vehicle."

The operation began after Mr Ikechukwu reported that his wife, Mrs Ikechukwu, aged 35, was abducted by armed men on Saturday, July 11, 2026. This happened while she was at her shop.

The kidnappers reportedly took her away in a white-tinted mini-bus.

Acting quickly on the report, officers from the Violent Crime Response Unit of the Rivers State Police Command started an intensive investigation. This followed the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, Olugbenga Adepoju, who directed the arrest of the criminals.

Agabe identified the suspects as Owhor Chinedu, 42, from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area; Isioto Waribok, 30, from Andoni Local Government Area; Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area; and Joe Karachi, 28, also from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, all in Rivers State.

The statement added, "Exhibit recovered includes a white mini-bus used in carrying out the abduction."

Initial investigations show that all four suspects confessed to their roles in the crime.

The police are also working hard to catch the two other members of the kidnapping group who are still on the run. They are also trying to recover the guns used in the operation.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, assured the people that the command is determined to rid the state of kidnappers and other violent criminals.

Adepoju urged the public to keep working with the police by giving quick, reliable, and useful information that can lead to the arrest of criminals.

He promised that any helpful information would be treated confidentially. The commissioner stated that under his leadership, the command is committed to protecting lives and property. They will keep using every legal method to ensure that criminals are found, arrested, and brought to justice.