Police arrest two ‘escapees’ for ‘kidnapping’, recover weapons

Males of the Imo state police command says its operatives have re-arrested two inmates who escaped through the April 2021 jailbreak on the Imo correctional centre.

A assertion launched by the spokesperson of the state police command, Michael Abattam, states that the escapees have been arrested over the alleged kidnap of two residents recognized as Dominic Chukwuma and Silas Nnawubia. The residents have been stated to have been kidnapped from Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of the state on April 30.

“Following a report of the kidnapping of 1 Dominic Chukwuma and Silas Nnawubia acquired by the command’s anti-kidnapping unit on thirtieth April, 2022, the operatives instantly swung into motion,” the assertion reads.

After gathering each credible and technical intelligence, the radar revealed the situation of the felony’s hideout in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of Imo State.

On storming the abductors’ den on Thursday, the police operatives disclosed that they arrested one Obinna Onuoha, aged 35 years, a local of Umuegwu Mpam, and Igbokwe Joseph, aged 35 years, a local of Umuchoko Ihitte Aforukwu — each natives of Ahiazu Mbaise native authorities space of Imo State.

The victims held captive by the abductors have been rescued unharmed.

Whereas interrogating the suspects, the Imo Police Command hinted that the suspects already confessed to the crime of kidnapping, thereby revealing how they escaped from Imo Correctional Centre on the fifth of April, 2021, and after their escape, they obtained a hideout in Ahiazu Mbaise, and shaped a kidnapping syndicate with their hideouts in strategic areas within the state.

They’ve been those concerned in many of the lethal kidnapping incidents recorded within the state.”the assertion learn

The police spokesman added that the suspects later took the operatives to their varied hideouts within the state, after which most of their gang members have been arrested.

The police gave the names of the suspects as Sunday Richard from Cross River, Consolation Ogbo and Igbo Simeon from Benue, in addition to Tochi Chilak, Cyril Iwuagwu, Nkechinyere Ibe, and Ebo Ubochi from Imo state.

Objects stated to be recovered from the alleged kidnappers’ hideouts embody; one AK-47 rifle with 84 rounds of stay ammunition, 4 locally-made pistols, 46 rounds of stay cartridges, one Toyota 4Runner SUV car belonging to a sufferer, and a number of ATM playing cards.

In the meantime, the victims have been reunited with their relations, whereas the police say efforts are on to arrest the remaining members of the syndicate who’re at giant.