Police arrest seven kidnap suspects, rescue victims
The Police Command in Delta has apprehended seven kidnap suspects at Ubeji Community in Warri South Local Government of the state.
Bright Edafe, the police spokesperson in Delta, who disclosed this to journalists on Friday in Warri, said that three male victims were rescued from the custody of the suspects.
Mr Edafe, a superintendent of the police, stated that the suspects were arrested on Thursday by police operatives attached to the Ekpan Division, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.
He stated that the suspects were arrested based on credible information received by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Ekpan Division, Labe Joseph, a chief superintendent of police.
According to Mr Edafe, the DPO received a distress report of a suspected kidnapping incident at Ubeji Community, located behind the Ubeji Gas Plant.
“Acting on the report, the DPO deployed a team of detectives and patrol operatives to the scene.
“On sighting the police teams, the suspected kidnappers fled into an abandoned poultry within the community.
“The police team swiftly cordoned off the area, leading to the successful arrest of the seven suspects,” he said.
Mr Edafe said that the rescued victims had since reunited with their families.
The police spokesperson said that preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were abducted at a dredging site at Ubeji and ferried across the river.
He said the suspects had immediately contacted the families of the victims and threatened to kill them if certain demands were not met.
Mr Edafe added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the other fleeing members of the gang.
Abduction for ransom has become one of the prevalent crimes in many Nigerian cities, with just anybody prone to being attacked by kidnappers.
In July, gunmen abducted and then killed a popular entrepreneur in Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east.
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The victim, Ifesinachi Martins Onyekere, the managing director of Fish Magnet, a barbecue firm in Anambra, was attacked and abducted at his residence in Ezinifite village, Okpuno, in Awka South Local Government Area of the state.
According to a recent report, Nigerians paid at least N2.57 billion to kidnappers between July 2024 and June 2025, while abductors demanded N48 billion in the same period.
(NAN)