By Kamsi Anayo
The Anambra State Police Command has arrested four suspected kidnappers and recovered caches of dangerous arms and ammunition in separate operations carried out over the past week.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the arrests on Sunday, said the operations were part of the Command’s ongoing security review and sustained offensive against violent crime across the state.
According to him, the Command has recorded significant operational breakthroughs following its intensified crackdown on criminal elements, leading to the arrest of four suspected kidnappers involved in separate kidnapping and armed robbery incidents in different parts of the state.
He disclosed that in the afternoon of July 15, police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, arrested one Okoye Ibegbunam Chukwuebuka John Bosco, alias “Bone,” aged 32.
Ikenga said that the arrest was made in continuation of an ongoing investigation into the kidnapping of a victim at Okpanam, Asaba, Delta State. The victim was abducted, robbed, and forced to pay a ransom before regaining his freedom.
He said a search conducted on the suspect led to the recovery of one locally fabricated pistol, two live rounds of ammunition, one axe, and one Itel Android phone bearing the victim’s photograph as its screensaver.
He added that the suspect allegedly confessed to his involvement in the crime, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the gang who remain at large.
In a related development, Ikenga said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, in collaboration with detectives from the Ogbaru Divisional Police Headquarters, foiled a suspected kidnap attempt in Ogbaru on the evening of July 16.
Ikenga said that the operatives arrested three suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate and recovered a black Toyota Camry with tinted windows and Lagos registration number LND 789HR, believed to have been used by the gang in its operations.
The suspects were identified as Chekwube Chukwu, 32; Amarachukwu Nwobosi, 34; and Sopuluchukwu Ifeakor, 30.
Ikenga further stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were intercepted while attempting to abduct a female Point-of-Sale (POS) operator at Iyiowa, Odekpe, Atani, on the morning of July 16, 2026.
He said the victim raised an alarm, attracting the attention of residents and prompting a swift police response following a distress call.
According to him, the timely intervention frustrated the kidnap attempt, leading to the rescue of the victim and the arrest of the suspects.
Further investigations, he said, linked the suspects to the earlier kidnapping of another female POS operator at Dominion Park, Head Bridge, Onitsha, on June 3, 2026.
During the incident, the victim” was abducted, dispossessed of two POS machines and Android phones, and compelled to pay a ransom of three million, five hundred thousand naira (N3.5 million) before she was released.
Ikenga said that during interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to their involvement in the crimes.
He added that they are currently providing useful information to assist the police in identifying and arresting suspected receivers of stolen property as well as other members of the kidnapping syndicate operating within the state.
“These operations underscore the Command’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks and improving public safety.
The Command further urges members of the public to remain vigilant and continue to support the Police with timely and credible information to enhance security across the State,” Ikenga said.
