Anambra community cracks down on kidnapping gang, rescues victim, arrests kidnapper

Efforts by Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, to build community synergy and arrest the rising insecurity and criminality in the state seem to be bearing fruits, following a breakthrough by Ichida community vigilante group, which cracked down on a notorious criminal gang operating in the community and arrested a kidnapper.

While explaining the feat, President General of Ichida Progressive Union (IPU), Chief Uche Enechi, disclosed how members of the town’s vigilante group arrested the member of a criminal gang terrorising the community.

Enechi stated that after the vigilante rescued a kidnap victim, Mr. Sydney Amobi, a native of Ogidi in Idemili North Local Council of the state, they laid ambush and got the kidnapper arrested.

He stated that during interrogation, they discovered that the alleged kidnapper is also a native of Ogidi, but residing in Ichida was part of a large criminal gang terrorising Ichida and environs.

Enechi said: “The kidnapper was also part of the gang that attempted kidnapping our illustrious son, Rev. Fr. Ugochukwu Chiekezie. On further investigation, we discovered that the kidnapper is part of the criminal gang that operates from Oba town.

“We assisted the police in arresting members of the entire gang, where a cache of dangerous weapons was recovered. We have handed over the victim and the arrested kidnappers to the police for further processing.”

The President General enjoined all indigenes of the community to be vigilant always, stressing that security is a collective responsibility. He added: “All landlords must make extra efforts to know who their tenants are. Those employing domestic staff must make sure they know who they are.”

He commended the community’s central vigilante and village security groups that helped to crack this gang, reiterating that citizens should say something when they see something.