The Rivers State Police Command says it has rescued victims of kidnappers in Emohua local government area of the state.
The Police said the rescued victims include four persons going to the National Youths Service Orientation Camp in Rivers who were abducted along the East-West Road.
They were kidnapped a few days ago on their way from Lagos to Port Harcourt.
Police also said they killed a notorious kidnapper in Rumuji known as Black Bush, during a shootout in a separate operation by the personnel of the command.
This is as the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Usman Belel, has ordered increased security on the East-West Road with a view to stemming the tide of crime and arresting the perpetrators.
Belel said the onslaught against criminals in Rivers State was getting fiercer and would be sustained until crime became history in the state.
Nnamdi Omoni, the state Police Public Relations Officer, said in a statement on Sunday that the operation that led to the rescue of the corps members was led by the Divisional Police Officer of the Rumuji Police Station, Ademola Adebayo.
Omoni explained that the victims were rescued unhurt and had since been debriefed and ready to be reunited with their families.
According to him: “Today, June 23, 2019, around 7.30am, in our sustained and unrelenting efforts in tackling criminality on the East-West Road, operatives of the Rumuji Police Station, in a sting operation led by the DPO, CSP Ademola Adebayo, stormed a forest at Evekwu in the Emohua Local Government Area, where six kidnap victims were rescued.
“The victims, including four youth corps members, are those abducted last week in a commercial bus travelling from Lagos to Port Harcourt. They were, however, rescued unhurt and have been debriefed. Their families have been contacted for necessary handover.
“The victims are Ogechi Onyema, Chioma Nnaji, Florence Ogeh, Abel Akinduro, Franklin Ayama and Solomon Akinpelu, (two males and four females).
“Earlier yesterday (Saturday), a notorious kidnapper and armed robbery kingpin, Zulu Ogwumike, aka Black Bush, was killed by the same police personnel in a gun duel.”
