The Enugu State Police Command has arrested 14 suspected members of different kidnapping syndicates allegedly linked to several abduction cases and a murder in the state.
Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists at the State Police Headquarters, GRA, Enugu.
Giwa said the arrests followed a series of intelligence-led operations conducted by operatives of the Command in collaboration with other security agencies.
According to him, the suspects were members of organised criminal networks operating across state lines, with some of them allegedly converging in Enugu to plan and execute kidnapping operations before returning to their respective locations.
He said the operations also led to the rescue of kidnapped victims and the recovery of firearms, ammunition and other incriminating exhibits.
The Commissioner recalled that security operatives recently rescued kidnapped victims at Ogbozara Community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State and Owukpa Community in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Giwa also said that following the August 2 rescue of one of the victims abducted from a church at Inoyi, Affa Community, Udi Local Government Area, subsequent joint operations resulted in the rescue of the remaining two victims, the arrest of three suspects and the neutralisation of another suspect.
He added that ransom money, firearms and ammunition were also recovered during the operation.
The Commissioner said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects later regrouped with their cohorts in Port Harcourt and abducted another victim, who was subsequently released after a ransom of N5 million was paid.
He disclosed that 12 other suspects had earlier been arrested through human and technical intelligence-led operations carried out in Abuja, Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, Kwara and Taraba states.
According to Giwa, investigations showed that the suspects belonged to an organised criminal network in which members played different roles.
He said an Enugu-based tricycle operator allegedly provided transportation for gang members, firearms and other criminal implements, while another suspect allegedly supplied intelligence that enabled the gang to evade security surveillance and identify potential targets.
The Commissioner said the suspects had confessed to involvement in several recent and past kidnapping incidents along the Enugu-Ugwuogo-Opi-Nsukka Road; Obioma-9th Mile-Umulumgbe-Okpatu Road; Eke-Affa-Egede-Ezinze axis; and various locations in Ezeagu Local Government Area.
Among the incidents allegedly linked to the suspects was the May 25, 2026 abduction of a male victim at Mgbabuowa/Aguobuowa in Ezeagu LGA, during which N5.5 million was reportedly obtained as ransom.
Giwa also said the suspects were linked to the May 9 abduction of two male victims and the shooting and killing of a female victim at Obioma, Udi LGA. He said $28,700 was allegedly obtained as ransom in that incident.
Other cases, according to him, included the April 10 abduction of two male victims along the Eke-Ezinze Road in Udi LGA, for which $70,000 was reportedly paid as ransom, as well as the April 12 kidnapping of seven victims at Obinaofia, Ezeagu LGA, during which N25 million was allegedly obtained.
The Commissioner further disclosed that investigations showed that the suspects allegedly concealed and laundered proceeds of their criminal activities through investments in livestock and properties, lavish spending, conspicuous consumption and overseas trips, including visits to Cameroon.
Items recovered from the suspects include five AK-47 rifles, two pump-action guns, one locally fabricated firearm, 310 rounds of live 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, eight live cartridges and seven empty AK-47 magazines.
Giwa said investigations were ongoing to establish the suspects’ involvement in other kidnapping and violent-crime cases within and outside Enugu State, identify and arrest other members of the syndicate, and recover additional firearms, ammunition and criminal proceeds.
He said the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The Commissioner attributed the arrests and recoveries to sustained intelligence gathering, ICT-enabled investigations, inter-agency collaboration, inter-state cooperation and coordinated operational policing.
He assured residents that the Command remained committed to combating kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, rape, cultism and other violent crimes.
Giwa urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons, movements and activities to the police.