Police arrest 3 kidnap suspects, rescue victim

Tweet 25 May 5, 2012 | 11:36 am News Onitsha (Anambra) – The police in Onitsha on Friday stormed the hideout of a suspected kidnapping gang, arrested three suspects and released their victim. Mr Rowland Omatoje, the Acting Police Area Commander for Onitsha, confirmed the arrest to newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra on Friday.

He said the police stormed the hideout at Nkwelle Ezunaka community, about 3km from Onitsha, at 9 a.m. He said that during the police action, the suspects were arrested while one Mr Okpara Nsofor, who was being held hostage by the hoodlums, was released. Omatoje said that the police and the family of the victim had sent the ransom money demanded by the kidnappers to their hideout as they had directed. “The police then laid ambush and were able to arrest three out of about six of them in their hideout and also rescued the victim unharmed.

Omatoje said that the kidnap suspects would be handed over to the Special Anti Robbery Squad of the state police command. He assured the residents of Onitsha and its environs of the determination of the police to flush out kidnappers and perpetrators of violent crimes in the commercial city. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nsofor, who is an Onitsha-based trader, was kidnapped at New Market Road, Onitsha, two weeks ago. His abductors demanded N5 million ransom before his eventual rescue. (NAN)