One Killed, Two Rescued, As Police Burst Criminal Gang In Anambra

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Anambra State Police authorities on Saturday, November 30, 2024, said they have arrested a couple who specialize in threatening residents with kidnap and

extort them in the process.

This is even as they informed that a notorious member of a dare devil criminal gang in the State has been neutralized.

A statement from the Command’s spokesperson, Tochukwu  Ikenga, SP, said that the Police killed the gang member along Agulu/Nobi road on Friday night, November 29, during an exchange of fire between the armed group and a VIP convoy.

“Police Operatives from the operations department of the command, attached to a VIP, in the state on 29/11/2024, by 8.30pm.along Agulu/Nobi road ,demobilized one of the criminal elements in the State, and recovered one pump action gun, five cartridges, five machetes, two SUV jeeps and two pairs of desert shoes.

The hoodlums attacked the VIP convoy unprovoked, leading to a retaliation.

The Operatives resisted the armed men operating in a grey-coloured Lexus ES 330 with plate Nos ACA 551 MA and an ash-coloured Toyota Highlander with plate number SMK 544 ,who attacked their convoy unprovoked.

During the gun duel, the swift response by the Joint Security Team comprising the police and AVG operatives led by the Divisional Police Officer DPO, Neni, Anaocha Local Government Area, made the armed men abandon their vehicles and fled the scene with bullet wounds through a nearby bush”. the Police spokesman said

He revealed that police operatives in the process rescued two  kidnap victims who were  earlier abducted and shot by the armed men.

Unfortunately, one of the victims was pronounced dead, while the other is responding to treatment at a medical facility.

According to Ikenga, the victims were kidnapped on  Wednesday November 27, 2024 ,at about 7.00 am on Ugwnwasike/Ogidi Road ,in Idemili North Local Government Area of the State .

“The victims, he added, were shot by the abductors following the discovery that they were being trailed by security agents.

They subsequently abandoned the victims in the vehicle and fled the scene.

According to the State Police Command, Mr Okoye Kingsley and his wife Chidinma, were apprehended in Ozobulu,  Ekwusigo Local Council of the State ,together with multiple mobile phones and SIM cards.

The couple aged 36 and 27 respectively, are alleged to be in the habit of sending messages to Anambra residents asking for ransoms or threatening them with abductions in the event of failure to pay .

“Given reports of text messages and voice notes received by unsuspecting members of the public on threats of abductions, the Joint Security Force comprising the police and ACG acting on technology-driven information in the early hours of 29/11/2024 arrested a couple.

“The couple, Mr Okoye Kingsley 36 and Mrs Chidinma Okoye 27 years were arrested in Ozubulu ,Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra state with phones and sim cards .

“The couple specialize in sending threatening messages to people and demanding ransom or they shall be abducted or killed.

“They all confessed to the crime and admitted to destroying some of the Sim cards which they had earlier used to commit the crimes” the Police stated.

Ikenga informed that the State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono-Itam, has ordered the case to be transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping/Robbery Squad of the Command for a comprehensive investigation.

He also said that the suspects will be arraigned as soon as investigation is concluded.