ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Police operatives have killed five suspected kidnappers in Delta State and also recovered some weapons during an operation.
In a statement, the spokesman of the Delta State Police Command, Bright Edafe, said the development followed the intelligence report about the activities of kidnappers in some communities in the oil-rich state.
“Operatives of the CP-Special Assignment team on 21st April 2025, acting on intelligence relating to kidnapping in Ubulu-Uku, Issele-Uku, Issele-Asagba and environs by one Bello Abubakar and his gang members, the operatives stormed one of their hideouts in Agu-Amawbia forest, Anambra state,” the statement issued on Sunday began.
“During the raid of the suspects’ hideout in the forest, the operatives recovered one AK-47 rifle, one hundred and thirty-two rounds of live ammunition. Investigation was extended to another of their hideout in a forest between Issele-Asagba and Utulu, where the said Bello Abubakar and his gang members were waiting in an ambush.”
Edafe said, “The suspected kidnappers attacked the policemen in a fierce gun battle, but the team who were aware of the battle ahead reciprocated in like manner. The suspects could not withstand the firepower of the operatives and ran in different directions with various degrees of bullet injuries.
“Five of the suspects, including the said Bello Abubakar, who could not escape due to the severity of their injuries, were taken to the hospital, where they were confirmed dead. Two additional AK-47 rifles and eighteen (18) rounds of 7.62mm ammunition were recovered in the forest. Manhunt for other injured fleeing suspects is ongoing.”
Thousands of people are abducted for ransom in Nigeria each year, though there are few reliable statistics. The Nigerian consultancy, SBM Intelligence, said it had recorded 4,777 kidnappings in the country between President Bola Tinubu taking power in May 2023 and January 2024.
(Channels)