Residents of Ohuhu in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State have celebrated the rescue of two kidnapped victims by police operatives in collaboration with vigilantes, forest guards, and local youths.

The victims, Mrs Onyinyechi Ekechukwu and 20-year-old Izuchukwu Okechi, both from Umuezerola-Umuawa-Alaocha community, were abducted on June 10, 2026, near Nkpu-Ala, close to the proposed Federal Housing Estate site along the Umuahia-Uzuakoli Road.

Sources said the kidnappers contacted the victims’ relatives and demanded a ransom of N10 million.

However, following the abduction, community youths mobilised and combed nearby bushes alongside security operatives in search of the victims.

A community source said the youths, armed with machetes, clubs and hunters’ dogs, launched a search operation, forcing the kidnappers to abandon their captives and flee.

Confirming the incident, spokesperson for the Abia State Police Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka, said six suspected kidnappers abducted the victims while they were returning from their farm.

She stated that operatives of the Ohuhu Divisional Police Headquarters, working with vigilantes, forest guards and community youths, immediately launched a rescue operation.

“On sighting the operatives, the suspected kidnappers fled, abandoning the victims. The victims were successfully rescued. One of the victims, who sustained injuries to the head and hand, was rushed to hospital for treatment,” she said.

The police spokesperson added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.