From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Police Command, said it has rescued nine kidnap victims and shot dead four suspected armed robbers at different locations in the state.
Police Public Public Relations Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed the story, disclosed that the nine persons rescued were abducted two weeks ago from a commercial bus in Ogba/Egbeme/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
Omoni also said that the four robbery suspects were killed during a gun battle with the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Team, led by CSP Igwe Bennett, when the team responded to a distress call in an estate near the University of Port Harcourt, Choba.
The PPRO said in a statement: “In the command’s efforts to rid the state of all manner of criminal activities as a result of the CP’s proactive crime control measures already put in place, on June 19, 2017, men of the Egbeda Divisional Anti-Crime Patrol, through credible intelligence, stormed a forest at Egbeda where kidnappers where keeping nine passengers who were abducted on June 14, 2017, from a Sienna van coming from Omoku to Port Harcourt.
“The operatives stormed the forest and fired some shots of tear gas in the forest, where the kidnappers were choked and confused, thereby abandoning the victims, who were rescued unhurt. The kidnappers were dislodged and a serious man hunt has been launched.
“On June 18, 2017, the IGP Monitoring Unit, led by CSP Igwe Bennett, responded to a distress call where three robbers were robbing a house. On sighting the police, the robbers engaged them, three out of the four robbers were fatally wounded while one escaped with gunshot injuries.”
He said several arms and rounds of ammunition were recovered in the operation.