5 suspected kidnappers killed during gun battle with police

FIVE members of a 20-man kidnap gang, which led ambush for the police in Delta State have been shot dead in a gun duel.
 
Commissioner of Police, Delta state, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, who disclosed this to reporters in Asaba said the suspects who suffered lethal guns shots were Prince Maku, Goodluck Oghre, Timothy Akpofure, Moses Uba and Ogutua Sunday.
 
He said detectives, who were taking the five suspects to effect the arrest of other members of the gang “ran into an ambush laid by the arrested suspects’ accomplices, and in the gun duel that ensued, the five suspects suffered fatal gun shots.”
 
Disclosing how the police closed in on the five suspects, he said two were arrested May 12, along Warri/Ughelli Road by a special anti-crime patrol team after a hot chase.
 
“A Dragon patrol team on Sunday, May 12, 2013, along Warri/Ughelli road flagged down two men on a motorcycle, who with established guilty intent, jumped down from the motor-bike and took to flight. The suspects were subsequently given a hot chase by security agents in the process, the two suspects identified as Prince Maku and Goodluck Oghre were apprehended,” he explained.
 
He asserted the police recovered N920,000 from the suspects in a “neatly packaged small hand bag”, while they revealed on interrogation that the money was a ransom paid by a kidnapped victim and that they belong to a 20-man  kidnap syndicate.
 
He added, “These revelations led to the arrest of Timothy Akpofure, Moses Uba and Ogutua Sunday. The patrol team immediately executed search warrant in the house and premises of the arrested suspects and further recovered two AK 47 rifles and four magazines each loaded with 35 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.”
 
Commissioner Aduba confirmed that the gang was responsible for the recent kidnap of the owner of Daddy Bakeries in Udu area of the state and a woman , after the Army check point, Osubi.
 
He said t five operational bases of the gang “have been  identified and with the full accent of the state government , they have been marked for demolition.
 
He also disclosed that  three robbery suspects were arrested by the police at Obiaruku Police Division  following a tip-off  with  a locally made  double barrel pistol, while at Abraka Division, a school teacher/head mistress of Ethiope East Primary/Nursery School , Eku, who was kidnapped in the school premises was rescued unhurt.
 
At Ozoro division, he said three suspected kidnappers, Jennifer Stephen, Oreva Ofiare and Esther Omemeye were arrested with N1.2 million ransom collected by their gang for the release of Professor Mokobia, who was abducted on April 9, while a member of the gang, Vote Michael suffered fatal gun shots.
 
In Ogwashi-Uku, the Commissioner disclosed that two members of a  five-man robbery gang, who snatched an AK 47 rifle from a  police corporal, Odoe Gideon on May 9, received fatal gunshots, while others escaped with bullet wounds.2



-- Vanguard