Police free kidnap victims, kill suspects, recover weapons in Kebbi, Abia

The Nigeria Police Force says it has rescued five kidnapped victims, killed five suspected kidnappers, and recovered several weapons during separate operations in Kebbi and Abia states.

Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, announced this in a statement today. He said the successes were achieved through joint efforts of police operatives, other security agencies, and local vigilantes.

In Kebbi State, three persons abducted in Sangara Village, Shanga Local Government Area, on July 27 were rescued after police trailed the kidnappers to Shanga Hills. The victims, Muhammad Nasamu Namata, 25; Gide Namata, 20; and Hamidu Alhaji Namani, 35 regained freedom unhurt after a gun battle forced the abductors to abandon them.

Adejobi added that two more victims, Tukur Bello, 26, and Isyaka Abubakar, 25, were rescued during a routine patrol in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area on August 15. They had been kidnapped while grazing cattle in Gairi Forest, Zamfara State, on August 9, but have since been reunited with their families.

In Abia State, operatives acting on credible intelligence stormed a kidnappers’ hideout at Umuiku Obete Village in Ukwa West Local Government Area. The suspects, who had been terrorising residents and motorists around Umuozo Village and Uratta Road, engaged security operatives in a gunfight but were subdued. Five of them were killed in the process.

Items recovered from the hideout included six AK-47 rifles, 335 rounds of ammunition, 14 magazines, five mobile phones, three cutlasses, five jackets, an axe, a pair of boots, a charm, and a double-barrel gun.

He further stated that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, praised the bravery of the officers and reassured Nigerians of the Force’s commitment to protecting lives and property. He urged operatives to sustain the pressure against criminals across the country.