Kidnapping: Enugu police arrest herbalist, two others

Police raid Edo shrine, recover 20 corpses

Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested an herbalist and two others over alleged kidnapping in the state.

The suspects were said to have kidnapped one Amaechi Oguama on October 20, 2021 and collected a ransom of N10m from his family without releasing the victim.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects to PUNCH Metro on Sunday, identified them as Oko Chukwudi, aka Anka-Dede; Ifeanyi Eze, aka Abrinanwa; Sunday Aneke, aka Aneke-Ikenga.

Ndukwe told our correspondent that the suspects were arrested on March 22 and 24, 2022, by operatives serving in the Commissioner of Police Monitoring Unit.

He said the suspects, who hail from Akpugo in the Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, were members of a criminal gang that specialised in kidnapping.

The PPRO disclosed that the command had earlier arrested three other members of the gang who were remanded in the Enugu Maximum Custodial Centre.

He said, “The newly arrested suspects confessed to have been actively involved in the kidnapping of the said victim and the receipt of ransom of over N10m by the criminal gang. One Berretta pistol with 1.9mm round of live ammunition was recovered from them.

“Meanwhile, the suspects will be arraigned in court alongside the previous suspects, once supplementary investigation into the case is concluded.”