The Rivers State Police Command says it has arrested five suspected kidnappers, recovering a significant cache of arms and ammunition from them.
The arrest followed a series of kidnapping incidents within the Rukpokwu, Igwuruta, Omagwa, and Etche areas of the state.
A statement signed by the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, a superintendent of Police on Tuesday, disclosed that operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on actionable intelligence, busted the criminals following a coordinated operation on March 8, 2025, at approximately 09:30 am.
According to SP Iringe-Koko, the operation which lasted eight hours, resulted in the arrest of the five suspects identified as Mohammadu Bello, 30 years old, from Padiki LGA of Kwara State, residing in Rukpokwu, Suleman Umar, 26 years old, from Hadeja LGA of Jigawa State, residing in Rukpokwu and Bello Amadu, 35 years old, from Keffi-Hausa LGA of Jigawa State, residing in Rukpokwu.
Others are Adamu Musa, 30 years old, from Hadeja LGA of Jigawa State, residing in Rukpokwu, Abubakar Mohammed, 22 years old, from Azare LGA of Bauchi State, residing in Rukpokwu.
Iringe-Koko further noted that the suspects during interrogation, confessed to multiple kidnapping activities, including the tragic killing of the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Omagwa where the CSO and his son who were murdered in cold blood.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects includes Two (2) AK-47 rifles, Six AK-47 magazines, 66 rounds of ammunition, Three locally made pistols, 10 live cartridges and several mobile phones and SIM cards.
SP Iringe-Koko who stated that efforts were ongoing to uncover details of other crimes committed by the syndicate and arrest others at large, added that the suspects were currently in police custody and are cooperating with investigators.S
he reaffirmed the Rivers State Police Command’s unwavering commitment in ensuring the safety and security of all residents, assuring that further updates on the investigation will be communicated to the public in due course.
