Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force attached to the Delta State Command have killed four suspected kidnappers during a shootout in a forest along the Asaba/Agbor expressway.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Monday.
According to him, the operation followed the arrest of a notorious kidnapping gang leader, Abubakar Usman, also known as Shehu, who had been on the police radar for his involvement in several high-profile abductions.
Adejobi stated that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to orchestrating the abduction of a medical doctor in Issele-Uku, as well as the kidnapping and killing of the wife and daughter of Mr Godwin Anuka in Ogwashi-Uku, all in Delta State.
He said, “The suspect further led operatives to the gang’s hideout in a forest along the Asaba/Agbor expressway, where the police team came under heavy gunfire from other gang members.
“In the ensuing gun duel, the operatives successfully neutralised four members of the gang and recovered three AK-47 rifles and 90 rounds of live ammunition.”
In a separate incident, police officers from the Kano State Command arrested three individuals believed to be involved in arms trafficking. The suspects — Abdul Sadiq, 43; Ahmad Muazu, 22; and Aliyu Sharif, 40 — were apprehended on April 10 at Dorayi Babba in Kano.
“Further investigation led to the recovery of 15 locally fabricated revolver rifles, 102 live cartridges, and six expended cartridges from the suspects,” Adejobi disclosed.
He added that ongoing investigations aim to trace the illegal arms factory where the weapons were produced and bring other accomplices to justice.
