By: Felix Ikpotor
Rivers State Police Command said it has successfully rescued a hotelier who was kidnapped and shot three times by suspected kidnappers on December 19, 2023, in the Artillery axis of Port Harcourt.
The State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the Command headquarters, Moscow Road in Port Harcourt.
CP Disu said the victim’s family paid a total sum of N25 million to the kidnappers, but they refused to release him prompting the family to informed the C41 Intelligence Unit of the command, which promptly took action.
The Rivers Police boss said men of the command had an encounter with the kidnappers towards the end of December 2023, but they managed to escape. Subsequently, the kidnappers changed the colour of their operational vehicles at a panel beater after the escape.
He however, stated that on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, operatives of the command proceeded to the Agbonchia forest in the Eleme Local Government Area of the state, where they successfully rescued the victim.
Disu further said that during the rescue operation, one of the kidnappers sustained injuries while exchanging gunfire with the police.
He said that the kidnappers collected ransom in food flasks and assured that the Police were diligently tracking down other members of the gang to apprehend them.
“The victim was kidnapped in his house but the family did not inform the police at the initial time. It was after a ransom of N25m paid in dollars was given to them and the criminals refused to release the victim that the family contacted the police.
“On Tuesday, 9 January 2024, officers of the command went to Agbonchia Forest at Eleme Local Government Area, Rivers State, where the victim was rescued and one of the kidnappers got injured while exchanging gunfire with the police.
“One AK 47, two magazines, Rx 350 and 330 vehicles were recovered from the suspects. The kidnappers collected the ransom in a food flask,” he said.
The CP disclosed that both the injured kidnapper and the kidnapped victim are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
