The Anambra State Police Command has thwarted attempts to snatch vehicles and abduct children in separate operations across the state, arresting three suspects and recovering stolen property.
Police spokesman SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement on Thursday, said the breakthroughs followed intensified patrols, strategic deployments, and collaboration between security agencies and community stakeholders under the leadership of Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu.
On September 23, a joint team of operatives from Achalla Division and members of the local vigilante group apprehended two suspects, Chinwendu Ndieli and Uchenna Offodile, in connection with a stolen Mack truck with registration number T 5003 LA.
The truck, abandoned near St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Achalla, was traced to a company in Lagos. Police confirmed the rightful owner has been contacted to reclaim the vehicle.
The same day, operatives from Okpoko Division recovered a white Toyota Camry Spider abandoned along the Onitsha–Owerri Road. Officers also discovered an additional plate number inside the car, which has been secured pending identification by its owner.
In another incident in Ihiala, 29-year-old Charles Chiemerie Onuigbo was arrested for allegedly conspiring with two others, still at large, to abduct three children aged six, three, and two.
The children were reportedly taken from outside their home while their mother briefly stepped into the kitchen. Community youths assisted in apprehending the suspect before handing him over to police.
Ikenga said the suspect sustained injuries after being attacked by irate residents but was rescued and placed in custody.
He added that efforts are ongoing to track down the fleeing accomplices and recover the missing children.
The command assured residents that security remains stable across the state, with counter-terrorism and crime-prevention patrols continuing in all divisions.