Cross-border kidnappers nabbed in Rivers

OPERATIVES of the Special An­ti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Aba, Abia State Command of the Nige­ria police have arrested one Ogo­chukwu Ihedioha for his alleged in­volvement in a recent kidnap. This is even as a female member of the gang who was earlier arrested by the police claimed she only cooked for kidnapped victims.

A release signed by the com­mand’s PPRO, SP Ezekiel Onyeke stated that on May 11, 2016, gun­men suspected to be kidnappers ab­ducted a pastor at Clifford Road and after a while on the same day, a lady was also kidnapped at Ngwa Road.

However, following a tipoff, op­eratives of SARS from Aba stormed the kidnappers’ den at Umuakwu, Ebiri Omuma in Etche Local Gov­ernment of Rivers State the follow­ing day.

On sighting the police team, members of the gang were said to have fled leaving behind their fe­male member whose name was given as Izuchi Nwaforala who claimed she was only hired as a cook to the suspected kidnappers.

The two victims: the pastor and a lady were rescued by the police unhurt.

The unrelenting efforts of the SARS team to arrest the fleeing members of the gang paid off May 25, when following information, one of the suspects, Ogochukwu Ihedioha of No. 9, Ekwulobia Street, Diobu, Port Harcourt was ar­rested in connection with the kidnap of the pastor and the female victim.

Items recovered from the kid­nappers’ hideout include one SMG riffle and 25 rounds of live ammu­nition.

Onyeke said efforts were being made by the police to track and ar­rest the other fleeing members of the gang while he called for coop­eration from members of the public by volunteering information that would help in apprehending the other members of the gang.