Crack Squad attached to the Police Area Command in Ughelli South Local Council of Delta State has arrested five suspected kidnappers. The command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, who confirmed the arrest to The Guardian yesterday in Asaba, said the police also recovered N450,000 paid as ransom.

He gave the names of the suspects who were arrested in a brothel and other criminal hideouts in Ewu town, Ughelli, as Dominic Uweru, ‘m’, alias Ovwolo, 48; Isaac Oghenerukevwe, ‘m’, alias Plug, 34; Oviri Godstime, ‘m’, 25; Junior Sunday, ‘m’; and Efedeki Adjovo, ‘m’ .

The police spokesperson added that the suspected kidnappers were arrested on September 12, at about 1:30 a.m., with one single-barrel gun, three locally made cut-to-size guns, one Moniepoint Point of Sale (PoS) machine, one OPay PoS machine, and wraps of suspected Indian hemp.

“They confessed to various armed robbery and kidnapping operations in Ughelli and environs, including the kidnap of a 70-year-old woman (name withheld), whom they abducted on September 8, and collected N7.9 million two days after her release.

“The suspects are in custody pending the outcome of the investigation,” he said. Edafe also confirmed that the anti-crime patrol team of the Aboh division, while on stop and search duty in Aboh town, intercepted one motorcycle conveying two occupants carrying a bag.

According to him, the occupants were subjected to a routine search. While the search was happening, one of them took to his heels and escaped. He said, “932 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition were recovered in the bag, but the other suspect, Anthony Godday, was immediately arrested.”