The Rivers State Police Command has disclosed the arrest of four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate, rescue of the victim, and recovery of the gang’s operational vehicle.
The Command disclosed that the suspects were apprehended along Aluu in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area following an intelligence-led operation by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), after a complaint was lodged by Mr. Ikechukwu over the abduction of his wife.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Agabe Blessing Kaborlo, Mrs. Ikechukwu, 35, was kidnapped on July 11, 2026, while attending to customers at her shop by armed men who reportedly whisked her away in a white tinted mini-bus.
The police said: “Acting on the report and on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olugbenga A. Adepoju, the VCRU launched an intensive intelligence-driven investigation that led to the arrest of four suspects identified as Owhor Chinedu, 42, from ONELGA; Isioto Waribok, 30, from Andoni Local Government Area; Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, from ONELGA; and Joe Karachi, 28, also from ONELGA, all in Rivers State.”
The Command said the victim was rescued safely during the operation, while a white mini-bus allegedly used by the syndicate to carry out the abduction was recovered as an exhibit.
It added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects had confessed to their respective roles in the crime.
The police further disclosed that efforts had been intensified to arrest two other members of the gang who remain at large and to recover the firearms allegedly used during the kidnapping operation.
Reaffirming the Command’s commitment to combating violent crime, the Commissioner of Police, Adepoju, assured residents that the police would sustain ongoing operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks across the state.
He urged members of the public to continue supporting the police with timely, credible and actionable information, assuring them that all useful information would be treated with strict confidentiality.
“The Rivers State Police Command remains committed to protecting lives and property and will continue to deploy every lawful strategy to ensure that perpetrators of crime are identified, apprehended and brought to justice,” the statement added.
Blessing Ibunge
