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The police in Delta State, south-south Nigeria, said they have killed a suspected member of a gang of kidnappers in Ozoro, a community in Isoko North Local Government Area of the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, said the police rescued a victim during the operation.
‘How he was killed’
Mr Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspect was killed on Monday when operatives intercepted members of the gang conveying their victim to an unknown location.
The police spokesperson said the Divisional Police Officer of the Ozoro Police Divisional Headquarters, Ogedengbe Areguamen, had mobilised the police operatives alongside vigilante operatives from Akiweh and Ozoro communities in the state, who stationed along the road conducting “intensive stop and search” operation.
The operation followed a distress call by Mr Areguamen, a chief superintendent of police, that an unnamed man was being conveyed in a Toyota Corolla car by the suspects, he said.
While conducting the “intensive stop and search” operation along the road, the combined team of police and vigilante operatives sighted the Toyota Corolla vehicle, the police said.
Mr Edafe said the suspects attempted to reverse when they noticed that they were being pursued, but that the combined team gave them a “hot chase” and “demobilised” them.
The police spokesperson said the suspects consequently abandoned the vehicle and fled into a nearby bush from where they fired gunshots at the combined team, which also fired back.
“In the ensuing gun duel, one of the suspects later identified as Oghene Fejiro, ‘m’ 27 years old of Oleh was arrested with gunshot injuries. One-cut-to-size double barrel gun, two live cartridges were recovered and the victim who is from Effurun was rescued unhurt and his Toyota car recovered,” Mr Edafe said.
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“The injured suspect was taken to the general hospital where he died while receiving treatment,” he stated.
He added that the police had begun an investigation to track down other members of the fleeing kidnap gang.
Arrest of a suspected cultist
Mr Edafe said the police from Agbarho Divisional Police Headquarters arrested a suspected cultist on 23 February in the state.
The police spokesperson said the suspect, Kingsley Vejeta, had been terrorising residents of Agbarho and Ughelli Areas.
A deputy superintendent of police, Habu Haman, led the police operatives, and some vigilantes from the community, to arrest the suspect from his hideout, according to the police spokesperson.
“During the course of investigation and interrogation of the suspect, he made useful statement and, at about 2:30 p.m., he led the police to the hideout of his other gang members at Ekrehavwe, Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government Area where on sighting the police, they took to their heels,” he said.
The police said they had launched a manhunt for other fleeing members of the gang.
Seven locally-made cut-to-size rifles and four live cartridges were recovered from the suspects during the operation, according to the police.
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