The Enugu State Police Command has rescued four kidnapped victims in two separate intelligence-led operations conducted within Enugu State and across the Benue State border, recording another significant breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The operations, carried out in collaboration with multiple security agencies, also led to the recovery of live ammunition and other incriminating exhibits. However, one kidnapped victim was found dead, having reportedly succumbed to gunshot wounds inflicted by his abductors while in captivity. Police said efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the first operation involved operatives of the Udenu Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), and the Distress Response Squad (DRS), working alongside personnel from the Orukam Police Division of the Benue State Police Command, the Nigerian Army, Benue State Civil Protection Guards, Enugu State Forest Guards, Neighbourhood Watch members, and the Ezimo Vigilante Group.
The coordinated operation, which also leveraged the Inspector-General of Police’s Handshake Patrol initiative, resulted in the rescue of two brothers who were abducted on August 3, 2026, at Ezimo-Ulo in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The victims were rescued unharmed at about 1:40 p.m. on August 4, 2026, at Ikele in Owukpa Community, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State, following a fierce gun battle that forced the kidnappers to flee with suspected gunshot injuries.
Security operatives recovered 15 rounds of live ammunition, the victims’ Android phones and car keys, additional mobile phones and accessories, a bottle containing suspected hard drugs and drug paraphernalia, clothing items, and ₦11,800 believed to have been abandoned by the fleeing suspects. The rescued victims were later debriefed and reunited with their family.
In a separate operation, operatives attached to the Umabor Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the VCRU, Enugu State Forest Guards, and members of the Neighbourhood Watch successfully rescued two other victims who had been kidnapped on July 31, 2026, at Amukpa Village in Ogbozara Community, Nsukka Local Government Area.
Tragically, another victim who had been held alongside them was found dead in the forest. Police said the victim died from gunshot wounds sustained while in captivity, while his decomposing body was subsequently recovered. The rescued victims were debriefed before being reunited with their families.
Reacting to the successful operations, the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the operatives and all collaborating security agencies for their bravery, professionalism, and effective teamwork.
He directed security personnel to intensify the ongoing manhunt for the fleeing suspects and reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating violent crime across the state.
The Police Commissioner also urged residents of Enugu State to remain vigilant and continue supporting security agencies by providing timely and credible information that will aid crime prevention and the arrest of criminal elements.
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