•Police
The Anambra State Police Command has recorded major breakthroughs in multiple criminal investigations within the last two weeks, dismantling a staged kidnapping syndicate and apprehending a notorious gang leader linked to abduction operations in the state.
In a significant operation on March 14, 2026, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, uncovered a shocking case of conspiracy and staged kidnapping, reports Saturday Independent.
Two suspects, Chinedu Chineye Nwobi (25) and Okwudili Nweke (25), were arrested, while an 18-year-old victim, Miss Mmesoma Ifediora, was rescued unharmed from a forest known as “Malaysia Forest” in Iruayika, Awkuzu.
Police investigations revealed that the victim masterminded the fake abduction in collaboration with her boyfriend, Obiora Okoye, alias “Stainless,” who is currently on the run. The plot was aimed at extorting ₦3 million from her parents. The victim confessed that the duo had taken an oath of secrecy and moved between locations for about two months to sustain the deception.
Authorities disclosed that the victim’s parents had already paid ₦240,000 into her Opay account before the plot was foiled. Items recovered from the scene include ten SIM cards, an MTN 4G WiFi device, two female pants, a native ritual calabash, a mobile phone, necklace, white bandage used in staging the abduction, and computer cables.
In a related development, the same police squad, on March 18, 2026, arrested Chukwuebuka Eze (24), identified as the leader of a kidnapping gang operating in Obosi.
The suspect, who bears a chest tattoo reading “No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper,” was linked to a recent abduction where victims were released after a ₦150,000 ransom was paid.
Recovered from him were a locally made double-barrel shotgun, five live cartridges, and a Redmi mobile phone belonging to one of the victims.
He has reportedly confessed to the crime and provided intelligence on other gang members still at large.
The Police Command attributed the successes to intensified intelligence-driven operations, strategic deployment, and improved collaboration with security agencies and the public.
All suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing accomplices.
