By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has recorded significant breakthroughs in its ongoing onslaught against criminalities, as the operatives arrested five suspects involved in kidnapping, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms in different parts of the state.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the arrests were made as part of the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu’s, operational review and safety emplacement strategy aimed at flushing out criminal elements from the state.
He explained that, in one of the operations, conducted in the early hours of February 22, 2025, operatives of the Special Anti-Cultism Squad stormed a criminal hideout in Igbariam and apprehended three suspects identified as Miracle Chukwunoso, Chinweze Charles, and Bonaventure Chigozie, all males between the ages of 20 and 26.
He also added that, during the raid, a locally fabricated Beretta pistol was recovered from the suspects.
Further investigations revealed that the trio had been involved in a robbery incident, during which they attacked and dispossessed a victim of personal belongings. The suspects were positively identified by the victim, who reported that a total of ₦254,000 was forcefully withdrawn from their account on February 21, 2025, along Otoko, Igbariam.
According to the Police Spokesman, in a another development, police operatives attached to the 3-3 Divisional Headquarters swiftly responded to a kidnapping incident at Ejison Fuel Station along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway on February 16, 2025. He said the victim was successfully rescued, and in the course of the investigation, two suspects (names withheld) were arrested. He added that a follow-up operation also led to the recovery of a suspected stolen ash-colored Toyota Corolla, which allegedly belonged to the victim and was found abandoned in a mechanic workshop in the 3-3 area.
According to the rescued victim, the kidnappers had forcefully withdrawn over ₦1,000,000 from their account during the captivity and had also stolen two mobile phones valued at ₦820,000.
The Police Command assured that all suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
