The Anambra State Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its sustained crackdown on kidnapping and other violent crimes with the arrest of two suspected members of a notorious interstate kidnapping syndicate linked to the abduction of a victim in Dunukofia Local Government Area.
Briefing journalists on August 1, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the breakthrough followed credible intelligence and painstaking investigations by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu.
According to Ikenga, police operatives arrested one Dauda Mohamed, 38, in the early hours of July 27, for his alleged involvement in a notorious kidnapping syndicate operating from Kogi State.
He disclosed that during interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to participating in several kidnapping operations in Anambra State. The suspect identified one Umar Ali, popularly known as “Barjini,” 50, as the leader of the gang responsible for coordinating logistics and supplying weapons used by the criminal network.
The police spokesman added that the suspect also named two other alleged gang members, identified as Usman and Gongola, who are currently at large. SP Ikenga explained that investigations linked the suspects to the kidnapping of a victim at Divine Heritage Lodge, Ukwulu, in Dunukofia Local Government Area, on June 26.
The PPRO noted that armed hoodlums reportedly emerged from an uncompleted building behind the lodge, fired several gunshots, abducted the victim into a nearby bush, and later demanded a ransom of N30 million. Following negotiations, the victim was released after four days in captivity when N15 million was paid.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate allegedly relocated from armed bandit enclaves in Nigeria’s North-West to establish criminal operations in parts of the South-East. The gang was also found to have used an AK-47 rifle allegedly supplied by its leader to carry out kidnapping and armed robbery operations.
Acting on information obtained during the interrogation, police operatives extended the operation to Ugwuoba Gariki in Enugu State, where they successfully arrested the alleged gang leader, Umar Ali, also known as “Barjini.”
Reassuring residents of the command’s commitment to tackling crime, SP Ikenga said the police would continue proactive operations, strengthen intelligence gathering, and collaborate with other security agencies to dismantle criminal networks.
He urged members of the public to continue supporting the police by providing timely, credible, and actionable information to aid crime prevention and the arrest of criminal suspects.
The command noted that investigations are ongoing and assured that further updates would be communicated to the public as the case progresses.
