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The police in Enugu State,, Nigeria’s South-east, say they have killed a suspected kidnapper during a shootout in the state.
Daniel Ndukwe, the police spokesperson in the state, in a statement on Sunday, said a kidnapped male victim was rescued during the operation.
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Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said the operation was conducted on Saturday by operatives attached to the state commissioner of police’s Monitoring Unit and the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad.
How the kidnapper attacked the victim
Mr Ndukwe said the slain suspect, alongside members of a kidnap gang, abducted the victim in his Mercedes SUV after firing sporadically within the Government Residential Area of Enugu on Friday night.
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He said the kidnappers later moved him to an unknown location.
The spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Bitrus Giwa, “immediately mobilised” police operatives to track down the kidnappers upon receipt of information about the attack.
Mr Ndukwe said that through coordinated efforts, the police operatives trailed the gang to their hideout in a valley within the Ngwo Community in the Enugu South Council Area.
“A gunfight ensued, leading to the neutralisation of one of the suspects and the safe rescue of the victim.
“However, the suspects had forcefully transferred the sum of N2.2 million from the victim’s account after initially demanding a ransom of N20 million,” he said.
“The operation also led to the recovery of a locally made double-barrelled pistol loaded with two live cartridges from the neutralised suspect and a green-coloured Nissan Almeria car used by the kidnappers.”
Mr Ndukwe said Mr Giwa had commended the police operatives for the swift and successful operation.
The police commissioner ordered the operatives to intensify efforts to track down the fleeing members of the kidnap gang and recover the victim’s vehicle.
He reiterated that the police in Enugu State were committed to rid the state of unrepentant criminals and asked residents to continue supporting their efforts with useful information.
Increased kidnap attacks
Kidnap attacks in Enugu State are not new.
The attacks have increased in recent times, particularly within Nsukka, Igbo-Eze South, and Igbo-Etiti Local Government Areas of the state.
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Civil servants, business owners, politicians and even students have become targets of such attacks in the state lately.
The latest incident happened weeks after gunmen abducted nine persons, including two Catholic reverend sisters, at Eburumiri, Ibagwa-Aka, a community in the Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of the state.
The victims were rescued last Friday by security operatives after nearly one week in captivity.
Meanwhile, the growing insecurity in the South-east has often been linked to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
However, the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is seeking the secession of the South-east and some parts of the South-south from Nigeria.
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