Four kidnapped victims have been rescued from a forest at Aishi-Ette community in Igbo-Eze North LGA by operatives of the Enugu State police command.

Daniel Ndukwe, the command’s spokesman disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

He said that police operatives serving in Igbo-Eze North Division, with active assistance from Forest Guards and Neighbourhood Watch Group, successfully carried out the rescue operation on Sunday.

The victims, two males and two females, names withheld, were rescued after an intense gunfight with the kidnappers in the forest.

“The kidnappers, most of whom escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds, abandoned the victims due to the superior firepower of the police operatives,” Mr Ndukwe said.

“However, one of the victims sustained a gunshot wound in his left thigh during the gun duel, but was moved to the hospital.

“The injured victim is responding to treatment and in stable condition; others and all the police operatives returned unscathed,” he added.

The victims were reported to have been kidnapped at Umuopu village, along Ette/Ogugu Road, on June 23 at about 9:30 p.m., on their way to Obollo-Afor, Enugu State, from Ankpa, Kogi State.

“The hoodlums had earlier demanded ransom of N10 million for each of them,” he said.

Mr Ndukwe said that the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, had commended the team for acting on the strategies devised and adhering to his earlier order to contain criminal cases of kidnapping in the state.

He said, “I charge all police operatives to remain focused and sustain the onslaught against criminal elements and police will never rest on their oars until the state is rid of unrepentant criminals and their activities.

“To this end, I urge members of the public, especially owners of medical facilities, to report anyone sighted with gunshot injuries to the nearest police station for necessary action, in accordance with the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017”. 

(NAN)