File Photo : Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju
The Rivers State Police Command has rescued a kidnapped woman and neutralized two suspected kidnappers during an operation carried out by operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit (ACU), Emohua Annex.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko. She said the victim, a female resident of Omademe Community, was abducted on Friday, December 5, 2025, along Ozuaha Road in Emohua Local Government Area.
According to the statement, the victim’s brother reported the incident to the police on December 9, 2025, seeking help to secure her release. The kidnappers were said to have demanded a ransom of N1.2 million and threatened to kill the victim if the money was not paid.
SP Iringe-Koko said operatives swiftly mobilized and carried out an intelligence-led operation to rescue the victim and apprehend the suspects. She disclosed that at about 11:30 a.m., the police team covertly stormed the kidnappers’ hideout in a forested area off Ozuaha Road, where the suspects were reportedly sharing the ransom.
She explained that the heavily armed suspects opened fire on sighting the operatives, resulting in a gun battle. During the exchange, two of the kidnappers were neutralized, while others escaped into the forest with gunshot wounds.
The victim was rescued unharmed, while part of the ransom was recovered at the scene. Police also recovered a pump-action rifle, five live cartridges, two expended cartridges, and a locally made pistol.
The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, commended the operatives for their courage and professionalism, noting that they risked their lives to ensure the victim’s safe rescue.
The police have appealed to members of the public with useful information on the fleeing suspects to assist security agencies in tracking and arresting them.
