By Adenike Omoyele

The Rivers State Police Command says it has dismantled a kidnapping syndicate, recovering ransom money and a pump-action gun, while two suspects were fatally wounded during a gun battle with operatives.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the breakthrough followed the arrest of two suspects linked to the abduction of a female victim and three others at Elele Waterside in Etche Local Government Area on January 19, 2026.

She explained that operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted the suspects along the Ozuzu/Apara Link Road on January 22, recovering ₦2.38 million suspected to be part of the ransom, alongside a firearm. The suspects were identified as Abdullahi Ibrahim and Mohammed Hashim, who reportedly confessed to involvement in multiple kidnappings in the area.

Iringe-Koko said investigations revealed that the gang had also been linked to the killing of a youth during an earlier ransom exchange, underscoring the danger posed by the syndicate. She disclosed that when operatives were led to the gang’s hideouts, other members opened fire, resulting in a gun duel during which two suspects were fatally injured while others escaped with gunshot wounds.

The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, commended the officers for their bravery and assured residents that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects, urging the public to report anyone seeking treatment for suspicious gunshot injuries as the command intensifies its crackdown on crime.