Police Bust Staged Kidnap Plot, Arrest Mastermind In Anambra Crackdown
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The Anambra State Police Command says it has recorded major breakthroughs in multiple criminal cases within the last two weeks, including the uncovering of a staged kidnapping and the arrest of a suspected gang leader linked to abduction operations in the state.
Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this on Saturday, said that operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Awkuzu uncovered a conspiracy and staged kidnapping on March 14, leading to the arrest of two suspects and the rescue of an 18-year-old victim unharmed from a forest in Awkuzu.
According to the police, investigations revealed that the victim allegedly collaborated with her boyfriend, identified as Obiora Okoye, to fake her abduction in a bid to extort ₦3 million from her parents. She reportedly admitted that the pair had taken an oath of secrecy and moved between locations for about two months to sustain the scheme, although the boyfriend fled on sighting police and remains at large.
The command said the victim’s parents had already paid ₦240,000 into her account as part of the ransom demand, while items recovered at the scene included multiple SIM cards, a WiFi device, mobile phones, clothing items, and ritual paraphernalia.
In a separate operation on March 18, operatives arrested a 24-year-old suspect identified as a gang leader allegedly responsible for a kidnapping incident in Obosi, where victims were released after a ₦150,000 ransom was paid. Police said the suspect also dispossessed the victims of their valuables.
Items recovered from him include a locally made double-barrel shotgun, live cartridges, and a mobile phone belonging to one of the victims. The suspect reportedly confessed to the crime and provided information on other gang members still at large, as investigations continue.
The police attributed the successes to intensified intelligence-led operations, strategic deployment of personnel, and collaboration with other security agencies and the public, adding that all suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
