Police arrest suspected kidnappers who collected N5m ransom from victims

The police in Anambra State have arrested four male suspected kidnappers who released two of their victims after collecting N5 million ransom from their family in the state.

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The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, identified the suspects as Chigozie Igboekwu, 31, Odumegwu Chibuike, 23, Jonah Awudu, 40, and Okechukwu Nwari, 33.

The spokesperson said police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad Awkuzu arrested the suspects on Monday morning.

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He said the arrest of the suspects followed a tip-off that the suspects, on 12 August, kidnapped two victims and released them after their family paid N5 million ransom.

Mr Ikenga said the kidnapping was reported to the police on 14 August.

“The suspects have voluntarily confessed to the crime and narrated how they conspired among themselves, on 12 August 2025 at about 7.00 p.m. and kidnapped two victims in Amansea, Awka, kept them for two days in a bush at Ugwuoba, Enugu State, collected ransom before they were released,” he said.

The spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, has commended the operatives for their resilience.

Mr Orutugu assured Anambra residents that the police were committed to rid the state of criminals and ensure the safety of all residents.

The police chief stressed that the suspects would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.

He said that operations were still ongoing to track down other members of the syndicate.

Kidnap for ransom

Like other states in the South-east, cases of kidnap-for-ransom in Anambra State have increased in recent times.

Civil servants, business owners, politicians and even students have become targets of such attacks in the state lately.

Meanwhile, kidnapping has been illegal in Nigeria since May 2022.

The country’s authorities enacted the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act (2022) which outlawed all forms of kidnapping.

The Act prescribes death sentence for kidnapping in a case where the abduction leads to loss of life and life imprisonment where there is no loss of life.

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It was an amendment to the now defunct Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act (2013) which had prescribed a 10-years jail term for kidnapping.

The new Act also prescribes at least a 15-year jail term for whoever pays ransom to free kidnap victims.

Several persons have been convicted for kidnapping across Nigeria.

An Ikeja Special Offences Court, in September 2022, sentenced kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, to 21 years imprisonment for kidnapping.