Police foil attempt to kidnap Shell retiree, businessmen in Nsukka, arrests three suspects

Moses Oyediran, Enugu

The Nsukka Area Command has foiled an attempt to kidnap one Dr. Romanus Eze a retiree of Shell Oil Company by a gang of kidnappers in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu state.

According to a police source, three of the suspects who came from Nsukka Local Government Area for the operation were arrested while the police are still on the heels of two others from Imilike Ani in Udenu LGA.
The victim a native of Imilike-Ani in Udenu LGA was said to be entering his car to travel to Enugu when some gunmen ar rived his compound at about 7am seized him and forced him into a red coloured Volkswagen car with registration number KWL 12 AM in the presence of his wife who stood helpless and zoomed off.

Daily Times source narrated that policemen attached to the Udenu station led by the DPO swung into action as soon as they got a distress call of the abduction.

“The police chased after the kidnappers with the assistance of local vigilante groups in the area and apprehended Ejike Ozonta, Chukwueuka Nwagwu and Cyril Amechi while Izuchukwu Agbo, Tochukwu Onuora who are indigenes of the area escaped through the bush.

According to a witness account, while the police and the vigilante were in a hot chase of the kidnappers the driver who appear not familiar with the route crashed the vehicle into a tree.

“The driver of the vehicle appears not to know terrain well enough as the police and the vigilante were closing in on them in the process he crashed the vehicle into a tree at this point of the crash they were compelled them to abandon the car and their victim and take to their heels.

According to a police officer who spoke under the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press on the matter said the operation lasted one and half hours.

“When we arrived the scene where the kidnappers crashed the vehicle, the kidnap victim was seen blind folded, his hands and legs were also tied, we also discovered that they had beating him to a pulp. At this juncture we quickly rescued him while our men combed the bush and saw the three suspects while trying to find an escape route.

“Efforts are on to find the fleeing suspects who are believed to be members of Imilike Ani and their sponsor,” he said.

In another development, the Nsukka Area Command have also rescued one Mr. John Nwali who was kidnapped along Edem/Nrobo, Adani/Nsukka highway while returning from Adani in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu state in company of Mr. and Mrs. Simon Nwiboji.

The victim, who is from Ebonyi state while giving the account of his ordeal in the hands of his captors to our correspondent said he was returning from Adani with the Nwibojis in his blue coloured Mercedes Benz V-boot car when two men jumped out from the bush armed with AK 47 rifle.

“My abductors jumped out from the bush with AK 47 riffle in their hands, they fired my back tyre and blocked the road while ordering me to lie down and face the ground.

“The gunmen dragged me into the bush and tied me to a tree before the police came and rescued me,” he said.