Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have rescued four kidnapped victims in two separate intelligence-driven operations conducted within Enugu State and across the Benue State border, recovering live ammunition and other incriminating exhibits while also recovering the decomposing body of another captive allegedly killed by his abductors.
The Command disclosed the development in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, who said the operations were successfully carried out through coordinated efforts involving multiple security agencies, while the manhunt for the fleeing kidnappers continues.
According to the statement, the first operation was carried out by operatives of the Udenu Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), and the Distress Response Squad (DRS), working alongside operatives of the Orukam Police Division of the Benue State Police Command, the Benue State Civil Protection Guards, the Nigerian Army, Enugu State Forest Guards, Neighbourhood Watch personnel and the Ezimo Vigilante Group.
The operation, which also leveraged the Inspector-General of Police’s Handshake Patrol initiative, led to the rescue of two brothers abducted on August 3, 2026, at Ezimo-Ulo in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
“The victims were rescued unhurt at about 1:40 p.m. on August 4, 2026, at Ikele, Owukpa Community, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State, after an intense gun duel that forced the kidnappers to flee with varying degrees of gunshot injuries,” the statement said.
Police disclosed that 15 rounds of live ammunition, the victims’ Android phones, car keys, other mobile phones and accessories, a bottle containing substances suspected to be hard drugs and drug paraphernalia, clothing items, and ₦11,800 were recovered from the kidnappers’ hideout.
The rescued victims were subsequently debriefed and reunited with their family.
In the second operation, operatives of the Command’s Umabor Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the VCRU, the Enugu State Forest Guards and Neighbourhood Watch members rescued two other victims who were abducted on July 31, 2026, at Amukpa Village in Ogbozara Community, Nsukka Local Government Area.
However, the operation also uncovered a tragic development as security operatives recovered the decomposing body of another victim who had reportedly been shot by the kidnappers while in captivity.
“Sadly, another victim was found to have died from gunshot injuries sustained while in captivity, and his decomposing body was recovered from the forest. The rescued victims were debriefed and reunited with their families,” the statement added.
Commending the operatives and supporting security agencies for the successful operations, the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, praised their courage, professionalism and effective collaboration.
He directed them to sustain the ongoing manhunt for the fleeing suspects and reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating violent crime and ensuring the safety of residents across the state.
The commissioner also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing credible and actionable intelligence to security agencies to strengthen efforts at tackling crime and insecurity.
