Operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Team, Rivers State Command have smashed a gang of kidnappers in Gwara Community, Khana Local Government of the state with the killing of two gang members during a rescue operation.
The operatives who engaged the gang in a gun duel arrested one of the gang members, Mr. Barine Kpobo, rescued a female captive and recovered the one million Naira ramsom paid to the gang.
Briefing newsmen at the State Police Command headquarters in Port Harcourt last Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Nnamdi Omoni said the success recorded by the command through the IGP Monitoring Team was in keeping with the promises made by the new Commissioner of Police, Usman A. Belel to rid the State of criminal elements.
Omoni who told newsmen that the incident occurred on 7/1/2019 added that the female victim was released on 9/1/2019, two days after her abduction.
The police spokesperson in the state disclosed that the hoodlums engaged the operatives of IGP Monitoring Unit on a gun duel at a forest in Gwara Community where the rescue operation took place, adding that it was in the process of the gun fire exchange that the Police fatally wounded two members of the gang and arrested one alive, as well as rescured the female victims.
Omoni also disclosed that two Ak 47 riffles, a pump-action gun and a High lander Jeep, operational vehicle used by the hoodlums during the operation were recovered.
“The hoodlums initially demanded N30 million as ramsome but later reduce it to N5 million.
Our men chased them to a desert in Ogoni and sighting the operatives they engaged them in a gun battle and in the process two of the gang members were fatally wounded, while one of them was arrested. Our men also rescued the female victim, recovered the N1 million, arms and operational vehicles used by the hoodlums were also recovered,” he added.
Also speaking, one of the kidnap gang members, Mr. Barine Kpobo, an indigene of Gwara Community admitted that he was engaged as a driver to the gang but denied been part of them.
He gave the names of the dead victims as Bobo James and Sunny Micheal, adding that one Hope Odel now at large, is their gang leader.
Narrating her odeal, the Female victim who refused to give her name, said she was kidnapped at Nbigwe Street in Woji and blind folded for two days in a forest at Gwara in Khana LGA before the Police Operatives came to her rescue.