The Delta State Police Command has rescued a kidnapped girl and arrested a 30-year-old suspect in Oza-Nogogo community, near Agbor.
Police spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed in a statement on Monday in Asaba that operatives of the Agbor Police Division, acting on credible intelligence, stormed the suspect’s hideout and found him with the victim, who had been reported missing since September 2.
According to Edafe, investigations revealed that the suspect, said to be from Kosso community in Sokoto State, allegedly lured the girl from her family home in Bodinga, Washegu Local Government Area of Niger State.
He reportedly destroyed her mobile phone SIM card to cut off contact with her relatives and held her under a spell.
“The victim narrated how the suspect hypnotised her and kept her against her will,” Edafe stated, adding that the girl’s mother confirmed her disappearance earlier this month.
Edafe further revealed that the rescue was made possible through a joint effort by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), his team, and members of the local vigilante group.
The suspect is now in custody while investigations continue.
In a separate operation, operatives of the Eagle Net Special Squad, in collaboration with the Nigeria Hunters Forest Security Service, arrested 27 armed robbery suspects at the notorious Basket Market along the Asaba–Benin expressway.
Led by SP Yunusa Danyaya, the team recovered a locally-made shotgun and a large quantity of illicit drugs during the September 9 raid.
Edafe said preliminary findings indicated that the suspects used the hideout to plan and launch criminal activities.