The Rivers State Police Command has arrested four suspected kidnappers and recovered firearms during an operation targeting kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state.
Police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko said the suspects were arrested following investigations into the abduction of Miss Favour Chika in Igwuruta community. The suspects were identified as Usman Dan-Mama, 20, from Mubi in Adamawa State; Idris Ismaila, 20, from Taraba State; Abdullahi Kabir, 27, from Damaturu in Yobe State; and Mohammed Dalandi, 22, also from Yobe State.
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According to the police, Chika was abducted on February 25, 2026, around 9:00 a.m. while heading to her farm and was later released on March 2 after her family reportedly paid a ransom of ₦3 million.
Iringe-Koko said operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit, Emuoha Annex, acting on credible intelligence and sustained surveillance, tracked the suspects and arrested them around 5:20 a.m. along Ipo/Ozaha Farm Road where they were allegedly planning another kidnap operation.
Items recovered from the suspects during a search included a locally made pistol, a cut-to-size single-barrel gun, and 20 live cartridges.
During interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to carrying out several kidnapping operations across the Igwuruta-Ali, Omagwa, Ozaha, Ipo and Etche axis of the state. They also admitted involvement in the abduction of two victims along Airport Road in Port Harcourt on February 12.
The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, said investigations are ongoing while efforts are being intensified to arrest other members of the gang still at large. He assured residents that the suspects would be prosecuted after investigations are concluded.
