The Anambra State Police Command said it has begun the search for kidnappers that abducted no fewer than three persons at different locations in the state and also to rescue the victims.
No fewer than three persons were feared to be kidnapped at different locations in the state on Saturday.
According to some videos circulating on social media, one of the abductions occured at Ifite-Amansea-Awka Road in Awka North Local Government Area on Saturday afternoon while the other one occured along the Agulu-Oraukwu Road in Anaocha LG on Saturday evening.
In the video, two yet-to-be-identified occupants of a Sports Utility Vehicle were kidnapped by gunmen on Saturday afternoon at the Ifite-Amansea-Awka, close to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University’s second gate.
While one yet-to-be-identified person was taken away by another set of gunmen along the Agulu-Oraukwu Road.
The voices in the videos narrated that the assailants double-crossed the victims with their vehicle, dragged them out into their waiting vehicle and zoomed off while abandoning the victims’ vehicles.
The videos showed masked gunmen ordering the victims out of their vehicles and into their waiting vehicles.
It was gathered from sources in the areas that the gunmen shot into the air as they made away with the victims, while one of them also took the victims’ car.
One of the sources and a resident living around the Ifite-Amansea-Awka Road where two victim were taking away said, “It was a scary scene to behold. The hooded gunmen double-crossed the occupants of an SUV vehicle, shot into the air and ordered them out and into their waiting vehicle, after which they immediately zoomed off. They left the SUV.”
Reacting to the development in a statement on Sunday, the Anambra State police spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said after studying the videos, the police responding team recovered victims’ vehicles and placed joint security measures/operational positioning to forestall such or related incident in the State.
Ikenga said manhaunt and rescue operations are still ongoing in the localities to rescue victims and arrest the assailants as directed by the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam.
He said, “Efforts are ongoing to arrest the assailants and rescue the victims of the abduction incidents on Saturday captured in a video along Ifite-Amansea road, Awka.
“Meanwhile, the police responding team recovered the abandoned victim’s vehicle, and joint security measures/personnel positioning are already in place to forestall such/related incident in the State.
“To this end, the CP charges the command tactical teams deployed to complement the joint security team to redouble their efforts to deprive the hoodlums of any space they desire to perpetrate their evil acts and vows that the police command shall leave no stone unturned in hunting down the assailants
(PUNCH)