Police arrest 123 suspected criminals, rescue 19 kidnap victims in Enugu

The Nigerian Police, Enugu State Command, has announced the arrest of a total of 123 suspected criminals in various parts of the state, while 19 kidnap victims were rescued between July and August.

The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, Kanayo Uzuegbu who made the disclosure while parading some of the suspects at the Police headquarters in Enugu on Thursday, said that 15 AK 47 and assault rifles were recovered from the suspects.

Other items recovered from the suspected hoodlums include 25 Pump Action guns, 35 other firearms, 710 live ammunition of different calibers, 187 live cartridges, 17 motor vehicles, 11 tricycles and 8 motorcycles.

Uzuegbu noted that most of the suspects have been arraigned in court and remanded in Correctional Service Custodial Centre, while some of the cases are undergoing investigation and would be prosecuted once investigations are concluded.

On recent attack on policemen at Four Corners, Ozalla by hoodlums and the kidnapping incident at the Enugu State College of Health Technology, Oji River, Uzuegbu said that some persons seized the opportunity to peddle false narratives aimed at instilling fear in the populace.

“Recall that a few days ago the social media became awash with all manner of narratives over the incident of the alleged kidnapping of some persons around the Enugu State College of Health Technology, Oji-River. The same thing happened over the unwarranted and senseless attack of a patrol team at 4-Corner, Ozalla, along the Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway. However, we remained unfazed by the numerous spurious and malicious narratives on the incidents.

“Nevertheless, it is important to clarify that, contrary to the malicious and misleading viral narratives, there was no such case of the kidnapping of countless students at the College. Rather, the four persons, three of whom were not students of the school, allegedly kidnapped around the College on August 14, 2024, have all been rescued and reunited with their families.

“Meanwhile, be informed that the suspects involved have been arrested and are undergoing interrogation. Also, the peddler of the unwarranted panic news on the incident has been traced and he has been apologizing for the mischievous act.

“Similarly, the sinister plans of the IPOB/ESN secessionist renegades to attack the police operatives and cause collateral damage at 4-Corner, along the Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway, on August 18, 2024, were squarely thwarted by the operatives. The militants, dressed in security forces uniforms and operating in a snatched Lexus 350 Jeep, suddenly opened fire on the patrol team on approaching the operatives.

“However, the operatives returned fire-for-fire and immobilized the Lexus Jeep, forcing the hoodlums to snatch a Toyota Camry car and escape the scene with varying degrees of gunshot wounds. Unfortunately, a Special Constabulary performing traffic control duty on the said road undergoing reconstruction, paid the supreme price with his life, while the team’s patrol vehicle was hit by bullets and engulfed in flames,” he said.

He insisted that the dogged and frontal approaches to fighting crimes in the State have led to clamping down on the subversive criminal elements and other criminals, perpetrating acts of terrorism, murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and other crimes.

Uzuegbu thanked Governor Peter Mbah for taking the bold step of demolishing houses and facilities used in harbouring and perpetrating acts of abduction and kidnapping in the State.