The Rivers State Police Command has detained three suspects in connection with the alleged kidnapping of passengers on the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road.
The three male suspects were also charged by the police with planning multiple armed robberies along the road and kidnapping a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who was serving in Rivers.
Mustapha Bala, Commissioner of Police, revealed this during a news conference in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Bala stated that the arrests came following a recent crackdown on escalating criminal activity on the road, which has become an hotspots for violent attacks on motorists.
“The suspects, Blessing Akpelu alias NTA, 28, Wisdom Amadi, 28, and Precious Ebee, 30, all natives of Egbeda in Emohua LGA, Rivers, are now in police custody.
“They operate by setting up illegal roadblocks to trap unsuspecting travellers on the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road, robbing them and holding them for ransom.
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“The suspects were under police surveillance following an alarming rise in kidnappings, including the abduction of the NYSC member and two others along the Elele-Omerelu axis of the expressway,” he said.
The gang leader, Amadi, was detained in Egbeda on October 19, according to Bala, while Akpelu and Ebee were captured on October 17.
He stated that the suspects had admitted to the crime and were assisting the police in locating fleeing gang members.
“Officers are working to recover their operational weapons and uncover the full extent of their criminal network,” he added.
