Owerri-West, Imo: Police Burst Kidnappers’ Hideout In Avu-Ihiagwa Forest, Arrest Five Suspects, Find Dead Bodies

By Charles Igbo

• All Five Suspects Are Of Northern Extraction

The Imo State Police Command on Monday, recorded a breakthrough in its efforts to clean forests within and outside the State Capital, Owerri.

The forests in Owerri, particularly, within the Communities which are hosts to two Federal Institutions, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO, and the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, have recently been taken over by kidnappers who have reduced the areas to dangerous zones, and hell for residents.

A few days ago, the National Association of Nigerian Hunters raided the forest opposite FUTO and discovered five corpses in different stages of decomposition, including that of a woman, and one man who was tied to a tree until he died.

On Monday, Operatives of the Imo State Police Command raided the forests in Avu-Ihiagwa Communities, and discovered two corpses in different stages of decomposition, other personal effects, and arrested five suspects.

Instructively, all the arrested suspects are of Northern Nigeria extraction. None is from the South-east, or even Imo State where they were arrested.

Following is the full text of the Police Command on the operation, signed by the Command’s Spokesperson, ASP Okoye. The Operation was led by the Commissioner of Police,  Aboki Danjuma, in conjunction with local hunters.

“Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Imo State Police Command Special Tactical Unit led by the Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma in synergy with some local hunters stormed a suspected kidnapper’s hideout in a forest between Avu and Ihiagwa, on 29/01/2024 and arrested of 5 suspected kidnappers namely; Muazu Awuta, 30 ‘m’ yrs, Abdullahi Abubakar, ‘m’ 32yrs, Ozeru Sabo ‘m’ 25yrs, Saddam Suleiman, ‘m’ 27yrs, Bashir Yahaya, ‘m’, 28yrs all of Jau LGA of Jigawa State. The suspects are currently undergoing investigation and have provided useful information to the Police that will lead to the arrest of other syndicates at large.

“On combing the forest, two decomposing unidentified corpses suspected to be kidnapped victims and other items like telephones, wristwatches, shoes, and slippers were recovered. The command intends to carry out further DNA confirmatory test to ascertain the identity of the deceased. Five operational motorcycles of the suspected kidnappers were also recovered.

“Intense operation is still ongoing in the forest and other identified black spots with the aim of stamping out all forms of crime and criminality in the State.”