Four suspected kidnappers have been killed by police operatives of the Anambra and Delta State commands in different encounter
Three of the suspects were killed at Umunede community, Ika North-East Local Government Area Delta State.
The state command in a statement by its Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Bright Edafe, said its Rapid Response Squad was driving in a Space bus on Sunday, while on undercover anti-crime patrol along Asaba/Benin expressway when five armed hoodlums suspected to be kidnappers emerged from the bush around Umunede.
According to the statement, the suspects “fired gunshots at the Space bus in an attempt to rob and possibly kidnap the occupants but unknown to them that the occupants were undercover police operatives.
“The team smartly disembarked from the vehicle and returned fire. The armed hoodlums on realising that their potential victims were policemen ran into the bush.
“The team went into a fierce gun battle with the hoodlums during which three members of the gang were fatally wounded and one fabricated Revolver pistol, six 7.62mm live ammunition, and four expended 7.62mm ammunition were recovered from them.
“The injured hoodlums were taken to the hospital but died while receiving treatment. Manhunt for the fleeing members of the gang is ongoing.”
Also, a kidnap kingpin called Chinedu Ajogu, a.k.a. Sampolo was killed by operatives of the Anambra State Police command in their hideout at Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, the neutralisation was based on the arrest of one of the gang members, Emeka, who led the police team to the hideout of the gang.
He said: “Based on intelligence gathered, which indicated the location of a kidnap victim in a town in Anaocha Local Government Area, police operatives working with the vigilante group stormed the location on Sunday and rescued four victims and arrested one Emma, who was suspected of complicity in the crime”
“Upon interrogation, he confessed to the crime and led the detectives to the hideout of the gang in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area where detectives engaged the gangsters in a shootout.”
