The Rivers State Police Command has rescued a 35-year-old woman who was abducted by armed men and arrested four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate in what it described as another major breakthrough in the fight against violent crime.
Spokesperson of the command, ASP, Blessing Agabe in a statement said the victim, Mrs. Ikechukwu, was kidnapped on July 11, 2026, while attending to customers at her shop. According to the police, the gunmen forced her into a white tinted mini-bus and sped off.
Following a report by the victim’s husband, Mr. Ikechukwu, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) launched an intelligence-led investigation on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
The operation led to the safe rescue of the victim and the arrest of four suspects identified as Owhor Chinedu, 42, from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA); Isioto Waribok, 30, from Andoni Local Government Area; Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, from ONELGA; and Joe Karachi, 28, also from ONELGA.
Police also recovered a white mini-bus believed to have been used by the suspects during the abduction.
According to the Command, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects confessed to their individual roles in the crime. It added that efforts were ongoing to arrest two other members of the gang who remain at large and recover the firearms allegedly used in the operation.
The Commissioner of Police reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state, urging residents to support security agencies by providing timely and credible information.
He assured members of the public that all useful information would be treated with strict confidentiality, adding that the Command would continue to deploy every lawful strategy to protect lives and property and ensure criminal elements are brought to justice.
