Odita Sunday 
Anambra Police Bust Staged Kidnap Syndicate, Arrest Suspects, Recover Arms
The Anambra State Police Command has recorded major breakthroughs in multiple criminal investigations within the last two weeks, including the uncovering of a staged kidnapping plot and the arrest of a suspected gang leader linked to abduction cases in the state.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Awkuzu, on March 14, 2026, uncovered a case of conspiracy and staged kidnapping involving two suspects identified as Chinedu Chineye Nwobi, 25, and Okwudili Nweke, 25.
Ikenga disclosed that the victim, Miss Mmesoma Ifediora, 18, was rescued unharmed from a forest known as “Malaysia Forest” at Iruayika, Awkuzu.
“Upon interrogation, the rescued victim confessed that the kidnapping was staged in collaboration with her boyfriend, Obiora Okoye, with the intent to extort the sum of Three Million Naira (#3,000,000) from her parents,” he said.
He added that the victim revealed that both conspirators had taken an oath of secrecy and moved across locations for about two months to sustain the deception.
The police spokesman noted that the suspect, Obiora Okoye, also known as “Stainless,” fled upon sighting operatives and is currently at large.
Ikenga further stated that the victim admitted her parents had already paid N240,000 into her Opay account as part of the ransom demand.
Items recovered from the scene include ten SIM cards of different networks, an MTN 4G WiFi device, two female pants, a native “juju” calabash, a mobile phone, a necklace, a white bandage used to restrain the victim, and computer cables.
In a related development, Ikenga disclosed that operatives of the same squad, on March 18, 2026, arrested one Chukwuebuka Eze, 24, identified as a gang leader responsible for a kidnapping incident in Obosi.
The suspect, who bears a tattoo inscription reading “No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper,” was linked to a case where a ransom of N150,000 was paid before the victims were released and dispossessed of their valuables.
“During the search, items recovered include one locally made double-barrel shotgun, five live cartridges and one Redmi mobile phone belonging to one of the victims,” Ikenga stated.
He added that the suspect confessed to the crime and provided information on other gang members currently at large, noting that investigations are ongoing to apprehend them.
Ikenga attributed the successes to intensified intelligence-led operations, strategic deployment of personnel, and improved collaboration with other security agencies and the public.
“All suspects shall be charged to court on conclusion of the investigation,” he said.
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