By Isaac Mission

The Enugu State Police Command has rescued four kidnapped victims during separate security operations carried out in collaboration with other security agencies across Enugu and neighbouring Benue State.

The Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed that the operations were driven by intelligence and involved personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, Enugu State Forest Guards, neighbourhood watch groups, vigilantes and the Benue State Civil Protection Guards.

According to Ndukwe, one of the operations led to the rescue of two brothers who were abducted in Ezimo-Ulo, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

He explained that operatives from the Udenu Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), the Distress Response Squad (DRS), and officers from the Orukam Police Division in Benue State tracked the kidnappers to Ikele in Owukpa Community, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The rescue mission, supported by the Inspector-General of Police’s Handshake Patrol initiative, resulted in a fierce gun battle during which the kidnappers fled into the bush with suspected gunshot wounds, leaving the victims behind unharmed.

Following the operation, security operatives recovered 15 rounds of live ammunition, the victims’ Android phones, vehicle keys, additional mobile phones and accessories, a bottle containing substances suspected to be hard drugs with related items, clothing and ₦11,800 believed to have been left behind by the fleeing suspects.

The rescued victims were later debriefed before being reunited with their family members.

In another operation, officers attached to the Umabor Police Division, working alongside the VCRU Anti-Kidnapping Section, Enugu State Forest Guards and neighbourhood watch personnel, rescued two more kidnapping victims from a forest in Amukpa Village, Ogbozara Community, Nsukka Local Government Area.

However, the police confirmed that another victim lost his life while in captivity. His decomposing body was discovered in the forest, with preliminary investigations indicating that he may have died from gunshot wounds inflicted by the abductors.

Ndukwe said investigations into both incidents are ongoing, adding that security agencies have intensified efforts to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has directed all tactical and intelligence units to sustain the manhunt for the kidnappers, reaffirming the Command’s determination to rid the state of violent criminals.

He also appealed to residents to continue supporting security agencies by providing credible and timely information that would assist ongoing security operations and enhance public safety.