Three suspects linked to the abduction of three people, including a seminarian, in Enugu State have been arrested following a joint security operation.
The victims were kidnapped during morning mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, in the Affa community of Udi Local Government Area on August 2.
One of the suspects was killed during a gun battle with security operatives in an operation involving the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Army, police, Enugu State Forest Guards and other security agencies.
The operation also led to the recovery of four AK-47 rifles, seven magazines and 133 rounds of ammunition from the kidnappers’ hideouts.
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed the development during the parade of the suspects at the DSS headquarters in Enugu on Monday evening, August 10.
Mbah said the two remaining victims, Lawrence Igbo, a seminarian, and Emmanuel Onwudi, had been rescued and reunited with their families.
According to the governor, the ransom paid to the kidnappers was also fully recovered, while security operatives used advanced surveillance equipment to track the suspects.
He added that the victims had identified the arrested suspects as members of the gang responsible for their abduction.
“There was one fatality in this process. It was one of the criminals that died in the process of apprehending them,” Mbah said.
The governor warned criminal elements that the state would not provide a safe haven for them, stressing that security agencies had strengthened their operations across Enugu.
“We made it very clear that if criminality becomes your venture, Enugu State is not the location to do that business; that we will pursue you, we will make sure we bring you to justice,” he said.
Mbah also warned residents who assist criminals or provide them with information, saying such individuals would be identified, arrested and prosecuted.
He disclosed that investigations into the activities of the kidnapping syndicate were still ongoing and vowed that anyone involved in attacks against residents would face the full weight of the law.
The governor commended the DSS, Army, police, Forest Guards and other security agencies for their collaboration and roles in the successful operation.
