The Rivers Police Command has rescued a kidnapped woman and arrested a suspected member of a kidnapping gang during a raid on a criminal hideout in the state.
The command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Port Harcourt.
The woman, identified as Loveth, was abducted on Sept. 2 while sitting in front of her shop in Port Harcourt.
Agabe said armed men fired shots into the air before forcefully abducting her and taking her away in a vehicle.
She said operatives of the Eleme Police Division subsequently commenced intelligence-led operations to track the kidnappers.
“The operation led police operatives to the criminal hideout where officers engaged the suspected kidnappers in a gun battle.
“Subsequently, operatives overpowered the suspected kidnappers and successfully rescued Loveth,” she said.
Agabe said a 35-year-old suspected member of the gang was arrested during the operation.
She added that the police recovered a silver-coloured minibus with registration number RBC 992 XE, Abuja, two locally made pistols, live ammunition, a mobile phone, two identity cards, two black gowns and a vehicle number plate marked KRK 528 HG.
The spokesperson said the command had intensified intelligence gathering and surveillance operations to identify and arrest other members of the gang.
The Commissioner of Police in Rivers, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, assured residents of the command’s determination to protect lives and property and bring criminal elements to justice.
He warned kidnappers and other criminals operating in the state that there would be no safe haven for them.
“The command will continue to deploy all lawful and available resources to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of kidnapping and other violent crimes,” he said.
Adepoju urged residents to remain vigilant during the ember period and provide credible and timely information to assist the police in combating crime in the state.
