The police in Rivers State said they have killed a suspected notorious kidnap kingpin believed to be responsible for several abductions and killings across the state.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the police spokesperson in Rivers, disclosed in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday that the suspect, David Kamalu, was killed during a shootout with police operatives.
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She explained that the incident took place during a raid on a criminal hideout in Rumuodogo One community, Emohua Local Government Area of the state.
“The operation at the criminal hideout commenced at about 1 a.m. following days of intensive intelligence gathering on Kamalu, who was popularly known as ‘M-Kaze’.
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“During the raid, our operatives encountered heavy armed resistance from members of Kamalu’s gang, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
“In the ensuing shootout, Kamalu was neutralised, while several other gang members fled with varying degrees of bullet wounds,” she said.
Mrs Iringe-Koko, a superintendent of police, described the deceased as a high-value target, reputed for allegedly masterminding multiple kidnappings of innocent citizens.
She also accused Kamalu of the brutal murder and beheading of a local security operative, known as Alete, alias ‘Hunter Commander’, in January.
According to her, the suspect was also linked to several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies targeting both Emohua residents and commuters travelling along the East-West Road.
“Owing to his heinous crimes and his leadership of a violent kidnapping syndicate, the then Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area had placed a bounty on Kamalu’s head.
“The bounty underscored the grave threat he posed to the peace and security of the Local Government Area,” she added.
Mrs Iringe-Koko said efforts were ongoing to apprehend other gang members who escaped.
She urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report any individuals with gunshot wounds to the nearest security agency.
Items recovered during the raid included a pump-action shotgun, two live cartridges, and various charms reportedly used by the kidnappers for protection and intimidation.
He said that one AK-47 rifle loaded with 18 rounds of live ammunition was recovered from the suspects.
High rates of abduction in Nigerian cities
Abduction-for-ransom has remained one of the prevalent crimes in many Nigerian cities, with almost everyone, including school children, being a potential victim.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier today reported the killing of three suspected kidnappers in Delta State, Nigeria’s south-south.
Around April last year, gunmen abducted nine students traveling along a highway in Ughelli, Delta State.
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The police said the students were returning from their school in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, at night when they were abducted from the minibus they were travelling in. Their abductors released them some hours later, most likely after collecting a ransom.
The incident occurred about 24 hours after three students of the University of Calabar, Calabar, were abducted by gunmen.
The three students – Ojang Precious, a 200-level student of the Department of Medicine and Surgery; Ugwu Chukwuemeka, a 300-level student of the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology; and Damilola Dickson, a final-year student of the same programme were abducted at night from one of the university hostels inside the campus, PREMIUM TIMES reported.
In some instances, the abductions are staged by persons who want to extort family members, as was the case of a young woman who faked her kidnap in Delta last December.
(NAN)
