Some of the recovered exhibits
By Tony Adibe
Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command said that they have rescued four kidnapped victims in two separate intelligence-driven joint operations conducted within Enugu State and across the Benue State boundary.
This was disclosed in a press release issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Daniel Ndukwe, on Wednesday.
Ndukwe said that in one of the operations, the decomposing body of a male victim who was shot by the kidnappers while in captivity was recovered, while in the other, live ammunition and other incriminating exhibits were recovered. “Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects,” he said.
Giving details of the operation, the PPRO explained that in the first operation, operatives of the Udenu Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), and the Distress Response Squad (DRS) led a joint intelligence-driven operation with operatives of the Orukam Police Division of the Benue State Command, the Benue State Civil Protection Guards, the Nigerian Army, Enugu State Forest Guards, Neighbourhood Watch members, and the Ezimo Vigilante Group.
He said that the operation also leveraged the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu’s Handshake Patrol initiative, leading to the rescue of two brothers abducted on August 3, 2026, at Ezimo-Ulo, Udenu Local Government Area.
According to Ndukwe, the victims were rescued unhurt at about 1:40 p.m. on August 4, 2026, at Ikele, Owukpa Community, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State, after an intense gun duel that forced the kidnappers to flee with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
He said that items recovered from the kidnappers’ hideout included fifteen rounds of live ammunition, the victims’ Android phones and car keys, other mobile phones and accessories, a bottle containing suspected hard drugs and drug paraphernalia, clothing items, and ₦11,800.00, adding that the victims were debriefed and reunited with their family.
The PPRO explained that in the second operation, operatives of the Command’s Umabor Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the VCRU, the Enugu State Forest Guards, and Neighbourhood Watch members rescued two victims abducted on July 31, 2026, at Amukpa Village, Ogbozara Community, Nsukka Local Government Area.
“Sadly, another victim was found to have died from gunshot injuries sustained while in captivity, and his decomposing body was recovered from the forest. The rescued victims were debriefed and reunited with their families,” he said in the press release.
However, Ndukwe said that the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Mr. Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has lauded the operatives and supporting security teams for their courage, professionalism, and successful collaboration.
He said that Giwa had directed them to “sustain the ongoing manhunt for the fleeing suspects and reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating violent crime and ensuring the safety of residents, urging them to remain vigilant and continue providing the Police with credible and actionable information.”
