Police operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested five suspected kidnappers and armed robbers who they said have been making life hellish for the people of the state.
The suspects are accused of kidnapping more than ten victims, raping female victims, seizing their underwear and raking in millions of naira from their families.
The men of the command also rescued seven victims and recovered some sophisticated weapons like AK-47 rifles, pump action as well as 50 rounds of ammunitions from the kidnappers’ hideout in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.
The Akwa Ibom Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olatoye Durosinmi told Saturday Sun that the police operatives in the command have raided all the nooks and crannies of the hideouts of the kidnappers and armed robbers who have for long been kidnapping victims, raping female victims and demanding female underwear.
He said on June 20, 2022, when the police operatives swung into action and had an encounter with the kidnappers it resulted in a gun duel.
He said the police arrested five suspected kidnappers and armed robbers who were terrorising the parts of the state and recovered some sophisticated weapons from them in Uyo.
He said some of the suspects had confessed to how they carried out their operations while the other gang members escaped with bullet wounds and abandoned five victims who were rescued from the hideout by the police.
Mr Durosinmi, the police commissioner, said that the police operatives had the same encounter with some of the syndicate along the Uyo-Calabar Expressway. He said the gang had robbed victims who were travelling in a car and collected all their valuable items. He said after abducting and robbing them, the suspects raped some of the female victims and also collected their pants, which he said some of the suspects took away.
He said through information, the police on patrol and the vigilante group had an encounter with the suspects and chased them to the forest, noting that one was shot while others escaped with bullet wounds.
“Also on June 1, 2022, members of a syndicate who had been involved in several armed robberies and kidnappings were about to collect the pants of female victims when they were intercepted by the police operatives and the local hunters and two suspects were shot dead during the encounter. The suspects abandoned their charms, cutlasses and Ak-47 rifles and 10 locally made pistols and fled. That was within the Uyo axis.
“Earlier, on April 20, 2022, a gang of armed robbers robbed victims in their vehicles and collected their valuable items and demanded the pants of the female victims after raping them. They abandoned them and left them naked. The victims raised the alarm which prompted the local hunters to inform the police operatives who swung into action and rescued the victims. They searched the bush and recovered one pump action gun and charms which they kept for the operation,” he said..
CP Durosinmi added that on May 24, 2022, a gang attacked some victims who were coming from an occasion at Ikot – Ekpene.
He said the police on patrol intercepted and gave members of the gang a hot chase and they abandoned their arms and ammunitions and escaped from the scene.
